


Arabella

by ManofSteel28



Category: The Inheritance Cycle - Christopher Paolini, Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Aro is so old he knows stuff he tells no one, B!P, Bella Swan is Arabella Eragon Shadeslayer, F/F, G!P, Or does Aro tell someone?, in Alagaesia they're called sun- and mooncrotch and accepted
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2011-06-17
Updated: 2016-06-23
Packaged: 2018-07-17 22:38:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 13
Words: 54,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7288870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ManofSteel28/pseuds/ManofSteel28
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This story is essentially The Inheritance Cycle except that Bella is Shadeslayer and the Cullens enter Alagaesia to help destroy Galbratorix. Bella is a hermaphrodite. If you have a problem, don't read this! Full summary inside. Bella/Alice femslash!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Arabella

**Author's Note:**

> So, some of you may have read this on fanfiction, and i have finally decided to move my stories here as the previous home is too restrictive for my sometimes smutty writings. Those of you that haven't, I hope you enjoy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, some of you may have read this on fanfiction, and I have finally decided to move my stories here as the previous home is too restrictive for my sometimes smutty writings. So this is here when my stuff is eventually deleted from there. Those of you that haven't, I hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: I own neither Twilight nor the Inheritance Cycle. I do own this idea and any OC's though.

A/N: This takes place before Twilight and when Eragon went to Ellesméra in "Brisingr" to talk with Oromis and get a sword. Also, Bella is a hermaphrodite; if you have a problem, don't read! Enjoy!

Bella's POV

On the fourth day after leaving Farthen Dûr, Saphira and I arrive in Ellesméra. There are no clouds blocking the radiant sun when the first of the city's buildings—a narrow, twisting turret with shimmering windows that stands between three tall pine trees and is grown out of their entwined branches—come into my sight. Beyond that turret of bark, I spot the ambiguous collection of clearings that is the sprawling city.

As Saphira planes over the uneven surface of the forest, I quest with my mind for that of Gilderien the Wise, who, as the wielder of the White Flame of Vándil, has protected Ellesméra from the elves' enemies for over two and a half millennia. Sending my thoughts toward the city, I say in the ancient language, Gilderien-elda, may we pass?

A deep, calm voice sounds in my head. You may pass, Arabella Shadeslayer and Saphira Brightscales. So long as you keep the peace, you are welcome to stay in Ellesméra.

Thank you, Gilderien-elda, says Saphira.

Her claws brush the crowns of the dark-needled trees, which rise over three hundred feet off the ground, as she glides across the pinewood city and heads toward the slope of inclined land on the other side of Ellesméra.

/Time Skip/

I sit in front of my mentor while Saphira lies beside Glaedr on the grass a few feet from us.

I roll a scarlet plum between my palms. "Do you know of Elva and what happened when I tried to free her of my curse?"

"Yes, even that. You may not have succeeded in removing the whole of the spell from her, but you paid your debt to the child, and that is what a Dragon Rider is supposed to do: fulfill her or his obligations, no matter how small or difficult they be."

"She still feels the pain of those around her."

"But now it is by her own choice," says Oromis. "No longer does your magic force it upon her... You did not come here to seek my opinion concerning Elva. What is it that weighs upon your heart, Arabella? Ask what you will, and I promise I shall answer all of your questions to the best of my knowledge."

"What," say I, "if I don't know the right questions to ask?"

A twinkle shows in Oromis's gray eyes. "Ah, you begin to think like an elf. You must trust us as your mentors to teach you and Saphira those things of which you are ignorant. And you must also trust us to decide when it is appropriate to broach those subjects, for there are many elements of your training that should not be spoken of out of turn."

I place the plum in the precise center of the tray, then in a quiet but firm voice say, "It seems as if there is much you have not spoken of."

For a moment, the only sounds are the rustle of branches and the gurgle of the stream and the chatter of the distant squirrels. I begin to wonder if he ever shall answer me as I look directly at my revered mentor. I love and appreciate both he and Glaedr, but I cannot help but feel as if they had known of my lineage and birthright. Plus, I am missing something that could cause a catalyst to Galbatorix's downfall.

If you have a quarrel with us, Arabella, says Glaedr, then give voice to it and do not gnaw on your anger like a dry old bone.

Saphira shifts her position, and I imagine I hear a growl from her. I glance at her, and then, fighting to control the emotions coursing through me, I ask, "When I was last here, did you know who my father was?"

Oromis nods once. "We did."

"And did you know that Murtagh is my brother?"

Oromis nods once more. "We did, but—"

"Then why didn't you tell me!" I exclaim, and jump to my feet, knocking over my chair. I pound my fist against my hip, stride several feet away, and stare at the shadows within the tangled forest. Whirling around, my anger swells as I see that Oromis appears as calm as before. "Were you ever going to tell me? Did you keep the truth about my family a secret because you were afraid it would distract me from my training? Or was it that you were afraid I would become like my father?" A worse thought occurs to me in that moment. "Or did you not even consider it important enough to mention? And what of Brom? Did he know? Did he choose Carvahall to hide in because of me, because I was the daughter of his enemy? You can't expect me to believe it was coincidence he and I happened to be living only a few miles apart and that Arya just happened to send Saphira's egg to me in the Spine."

"What Arya did was an accident," asserts Oromis. "She had no knowledge of you then."

I grip the pommel of my dwarf sword, every muscle in my body as hard as steel. "When Brom first saw Saphira, I remember he said something to himself about being unsure whether 'this' was a farce or a tragedy. At the time, I thought he was referring to the fact that a girl and a common farmer like myself had become the first new Rider in over a hundred years. But that's not what he meant, was it? He was wondering whether it was a farce or a tragedy that Morzan's youngest daughter should be the one to take up the Riders' mantle!

"Is that why you and Brom trained me, to be nothing more than a weapon against Galbatorix so that I may atone for the villainy of my father? Is that all I am to you, a balancing of the scales?" Before Oromis can respond, I swear and say, "My whole life has been a lie! Since the moment I was born, no one but Saphira has wanted me: not my mother, not Garrow, not Aunt Marian, not even Brom. Brom showed interest in me only because of Morzan and Saphira. I have always been an inconvenience. Whatever you think of me, though, I am not my father, nor my brother, and I refuse to follow in their footsteps." Placing my hands of the edge of the table, I lean forward. "I'm not about to betray the elves or the dwarves, or the Varden to Galbatorix, if that's what you are worried about. I will do what I must, but from now on, you have neither my loyalty nor my trust. I will not—"

The ground and the air shakes as Glaedr growls, his upper lip pulling back to reveal the full length of his fangs. You have more reason to trust us than anyone else, hatchling, he says, his voice thunderous in my mind. If not for our efforts, you would be long dead.

Then, before I can snap at him, to my surprise, Saphira says to Oromis and Glaedr, Tell her, and it alarms me to feel the distress in her thoughts.

Saphira? I ask, puzzled. Tell me what?

She ignores my question. This arguing is without cause. Do not prolong Arabella's discomfort any longer.

One of Oromis's slanted eyebrows rises. "You know?"

I know.

"You know what?" I bellow, on the verge of tearing my sword from its sheath and threatening all of them until they explain themselves.

With one slim finger, Oromis points toward the fallen chair. "Sit." When I remain standing, too angry and full of resentment to obey, Oromis sighs. "I understand this is difficult for you, Arabella, but if you insist upon asking questions and then refuse to listen to the answers, frustration will be your only reward. Now, please sit, so we can talk about this in a civilized manner."

Glaring ragingly, I right the chair and drop back onto it. "Why?" I ask. "Why didn't you tell me that my father was Morzan, the first of the Forsworn?"

"In the first place," says Oromis, "we shall be fortunate if you are more like your father, which, indeed, I believe you are. And, as I was about to say before you interrupted me, Murtagh is not your brother, but rather your half brother."

The world seems spin around me; the sensation of vertigo is so different from flight and so intense, that I must grab the edge of the table to steady myself. "My half brother… But then who…?"

Oromis plucks a blackberry from a bowl, contemplates it for a moment, and then eats it. "Glaedr and I did not wish to keep this a secret from you, but we had no choice. We both promised, with the most binding of oaths, that we would never reveal to you the identity of your father or of your half brother, nor discuss your lineage, unless you had discovered the truth on your own or unless the identity of your relatives had placed in danger. What transpired between you and Murtagh during the Battle of the Burning Plains satisfies enough of those requirements that we can now speak freely on this topic."

Trembling with barely restrained emotion, I say, "Oromis-elda, if Murtagh is my half brother, then who is my father?"

Look into your heart, Arabella, says Glaedr. You already know who he is, and you have known for a long time.

I shake my head, frantically. "I don't know! I don't know! Please…"

A gust of smoke and flame jets from Glaedr's nostrils as he snorts. Is it not obvious? Your father is Brom.

A/N: I hope no one minds too terribly that I'm borrowing parts from "Eragon". My own dialogue and situations is coming up once the Cullens get to Alagaësia. Well, I hope everybody liked this. Whether or not you did, I'd like to know your opinions. Please review if you read, even if only for this first chapter, so that I can know what you all think. I really couldn't help myself with this idea; it was too insistent!


	2. Cullens, Part One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or the Inheritance Cycle, just any OC's.
> 
> A/N: I had to split the original second chapter in two parts because it was getting to be too long. The Cullens are gonna get a new understanding of the dimensions. I made the vampires in Alagaësia really different from those in "Twilight" due to "dimension changes" as will be explained in Part Two. Enjoy!

Chapter Two: Cullens, Part One

Alice's POV- Earth Dimension

"So, someone tell me again why the hell we're looking for Aro?" Rosalie's annoyed voice comes over the walkie talkie in my right hand.

It's Wednesday, August 31st. it's the second week of school for us "teenage" vampires. It's also "Search for Aro Volturi" day, which happens each Wednesday, and we look for Aro.

Carlisle answers Rose's rhetorical question, "Because, Rose, he's been missing for a month."

Rose huffs, indignantly, "Aro is a big vampire, Carlisle. He can be 'missing' if he wants. Plus, don't they have the amazing Felix in the Guard?"

Edward cuts in, "Apparently, he can't unless he tells Caius and takes an entourage of guards and a cell phone."

"I'm sure he just wants time to himself." Esme says, kindly.

"If I were him, I'd go into the ocean then." Emmett states. "We should look there."

"I am not getting my clothes wet!" I exclaim, gracefully jumping over a fallen oak.

Just then a bright, orange glow bursts into being in the clearing ahead. A shockwave of some sort hits me, and I fall onto my back with an audible "oomph". Somehow I haven't crushed my walkie talkie, but I also haven't taken my thumb from the talk button, so everyone just heard that. I release the button, and Carlisle is the first to ask.

"Alice, are you okay? What happened? We're already headed toward you."

"I don't know, Dad." I gasp. "A really bright, orange light just erupted in our clearing, which I was headed to, then a shockwave threw me to the ground. I can only see an extremely blurry picture when I look for the future if we go in there, but I can hear us talking in a language I don't know."

"We see you." Edward says.

A voice starts up in the clearing, speaking the language from my vision then my family is around me. I raise myself from the crouch I'd automatically fallen into when I got up.

"Should we go in?" Jasper asks, quietly.

Before I can reply, the voice in the clearing switches to English and addresses us.

"Cullen family, come to me for your destiny."

It's a female voice.

"That's cheesy." Emmett comments.

Carlisle looks to me, questioningly.

I shrug. "The only thing I can get is that she's not malevolent towards us."

"The woman in there is not lying to us. She knows something." Esme adds, softly.

Carlisle nods, and we all start for the clearing 10 feet away. The person standing in the middle of our baseball clearing shocks us all. It's one in the afternoon, and she should be in school. Standing in the center, wearing a green traveling cloak, is Angela Webber, daughter of Chief Webber. She just moved up here, to Forks, from Phoenix, Arizona to live with her father after her mom kicked her out for practicing witchcraft. She's a pretty girl, who's polite; she's tall, around 5'11", with long brown curls, and electric blue eyes. However, the students of Forks High School know her story; add to that the fact that she always wears either ankle length skirts or medieval period men's trousers, and the whole school thinks they have a reason to bully her. She ignores the verbal abuse with a stoic expression to rival Jasper's, and the one time she was physically attacked Mike Newton and Tyler Crowley both ended up with broken arms and fingers. I'm snapped back to the present when she speaks.

"I am very much not malevolent toward you all, and I possess centuries of knowledge." She says, but her voice is deeper and older as if she's channeling her older self, and she has a slight British accent.

Suddenly, a Child of the Moon bounds into the clearing, carrying a black rucksack, by the drawstrings, in his teeth. He stops beside Angela and stands. Taking the bag in a paw-hand, he closes his eyes and shifts into his human form. Angela waves a hand, and baggy shorts cover him as he's revealed. Once again I and the others are surprised. Ben Cheney, the extremely "Goth emo" boyfriend of Angela, is the werewolf.

"Thank you, Benjamin. Not too hard to get them, right?" Angela says to Ben.

"No, my love. There are no dwarves here, but they would love these mountains as they are rich in minerals." Ben says in his light Irish brogue.

"Only until they depleted them since the minerals do not grow back as they do in the Beors. Come let us set these up." Angela responds.

Ben sets down the sack, and they both kneel on either side of it. Angela opens it and withdraws blue, green, and violet precious stones the size of softballs. Ben takes out red, orange, and yellow ones of the same size. They arrange them, in color wheel order, around the pitcher's mound. Once done Ben backs up a foot while Angela stands over the rocks with her hands hovering above them.

"Rïsa un vakna!" she exclaims.

The soil inside the circle of stones churns and shifts. Then the stones start to glow, and something rises from the ground in the center, actually three somethings. Three polished, foot long, oval shaped stones, one violet, one bronze, and one forest green. Tiny white tendrils run all over them like veins. The ground stops its roiling and returns to the smooth pitcher's mound under them.

"The seer, the reader, and the feeler: your gifts." Angela states, and as she speaks each of our power titles, a stone flies into our hands.

I get the violet one, Edward the bronze one, and Jasper the forest green one. The stone is cool and almost frictionless beneath my fingers, like vampire hardened silk. Of course, to me, it weighs nothing at all, but it's lighter than it should be. Out of nowhere, the stone begins to quiver violently as cracks spiderweb over it. I look up, in shock, to find Jasper's and Edward's doing the same. They're eggs!

"Set the eggs down and kneel before them. When they hatch, touch their heads with whichever hand you wrote with as a human." Angela instructs, quickly.

Jasper, Edward, and I do as she says as the shaking becomes rocking. More cracks spread over the eggs, and I go back to watching mine. All at once the shell explodes outwards, revealing a violet mass. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Edward's hatchling poke its head from a hole in the top, and Jasper's start to bat pieces of egg away from its body. I give my hatchling back my full attention. It has a small angular head and a lizard-like body. It's two hands longer than my forearm, yet it's dignified and noble as it licks the egg membrane from its body, like a feline. Its scales are a deep, clear amethyst violet, the same color as the egg. It fans its wings which are several times longer than its body and ribbed with thin fingers of bone that extend from the wing's front edge, forming a line of widely spaced talons, once it's finished cleaning itself. Its head is mostly triangular. Two diminutive white fangs curve down out of its upper jaw on each side. They're extremely sharp looking. Its claws are also white, like polished ivory, and slightly serrated on the inside curve. A line of small spikes runs down its spine from the base of its head to the tip of its tail. A hollow where its neck and shoulders join creates a larger-than-normal gap between spikes. Its predatory violet eyes stare into my golden ones with too much intelligence. I was just given a fucking baby dragon!

"It's a dragon!" I state, dumbly.

Well, of course, I am. A husky, female voice agrees in my head.

The dragon yawns, displaying rows of pointed teeth as I look over to see that Edward and Jasper have dragons that match their egg color too. Jasper's is the biggest while Edward's is the smallest. I look back to my dragon.

"Did you just speak to me in my mind?" I ask it.

I know that I, myself, am a supposed "mythical" creature, but this just totally and completely takes the cake.

It nods, I did, and I am a her, not an it.

My eyes widen. I look to my brothers in question. They both nod.

"I can't hear them talking to you two, though." Edward informs us.

I nod.

"Touch them, please." Angela reminds us.

At the same time, the three of us touch our dragons' heads, which they lean into. Me with my left, Edward with his left, and Jasper with his right. A blast of icy (even to me) energy surges into my hand and races up my arm, burning my dead veins with a liquid fire that is less intense than that of the Change. An iron clang fills my ears, and every part of my body thrums with an overload of energy. After what seems like hours, warmth seeps into my chill limbs, leaving them tingling. I shiver uncontrollably. From my peripherals, I can see Jazz and Edward doing the same thing. My hand is numb, fingers paralyzed. I look at my hand in shock. Extremely confused and bewildered, I watch as the middle of my left palm shimmers and a diffused oval swirly thing forms on it. The skin there burns and itches.

Something brushes against my consciousness, like a finger trailing over my skin. At first I think it's Edward because that's what it feels like when he tries to read my mind purposely. However, somehow, I recognize it as my dragon's consciousness when the touch solidifies into thought. Again, I peek over at my brothers. They have the same marking on the hand that they touched their dragon with. I look at the rest of my family. Their faces are frozen in incredulous shock and massive confusion.

"Catch." Angela says.

Our eyes snap to her as she throws us each a medium sized hideskin bag. The smell of meat jerky comes from them. It's obvious that they're for the dragons. I open mine and pull out four large uneven strips of what smells like veal jerky. (A/N: I know that Saphira ate less than that, but whatev.) I hold it out to my dragon, and she snaps them up.

Thank you. She says, gratefully.

You're welcome. I reply, automatically, as I bring out more meat.

After the dragons finish their bags, I'm about to ask mine what her name is when Angela interrupts.

"Now, you must hurry and name them so that I can speed their growth to the size of Saphira." She says, urgently.

"Who is Saphira?" Carlisle asks, coming out of his stupor as I think of names.

The rest of the family unfreezes too.

"I will tell you while we make saddles." Angela replies.

I look at my dragon and ask her with my mind, What do you think of Angel or Mikayla?

No.

Okay, how about Fleur, Amethyst, or Luna?

No.

Lunam? I give my last good one after a series of others she doesn't like.

Yes! She says, happily.

"You are Lunam." I state out loud.

"You are Nahele." Jasper states out loud.

"You are Alaula." Edward states out loud.

All three of our dragons give a small crow and begin to get bigger. When they reach the size of great Danes, they each jump into the air and start to fly around the clearing, chasing each other. They each keep growing until they're the size of three large male African elephants put together. The wind in the clearing picks up as they grow, then finally they're done. Each dragon lands in front of us, carefully but with a slight jarring. Without hesitation Angela uses a really long measuring tape to measure the dragons' necks and chests.

"Go hunt, but stay out of sight of the humans." Angela tells the dragons when she's done.

All three nod.

We will not go so far that we cannot hear or feel you any longer. Lunam tells me before she and the others take off and head west.

"Carlisle, touch my hand so that you can learn to make the saddles; you and Benjamin will help me. The rest of you will watch." Angela says, holding out a hand.

Carlisle steps forward and does as she asks. When he drops her hand, Ben comes back into the clearing with three huge, cured ox hides. I hadn't even noticed him leave, and where the hell did he get ox hide around here?

"Gather closer." Ben says to us.

We do, and they set to work. Each of them cuts five bands out of the leather, with sharp knives given out by Angela, and outline a dozen or so shapes on the hides. Once the pieces have been sliced out, they cut what remains into long cords. They each use the cords to sew everything together, but for each stitch, two holes have to be bored through the leather. Intricate knots are rigged in place of buckles, and every strap is made extra-long so the saddles will still fit our dragons should they grow bigger. The main part of the saddle is assembled from three identical sections sewn together with padding between them. Attached to the front is a thick loop that will fit snugly around one of the now large spikes of Lunam's neck, while wide bands sewn on either side will wrap around her belly and tie underneath. Taking place of stirrups are a series of loops running down both bands. While tightened, they will hold my legs in place. A long strap is constructed to pass between Lunam's front legs, split in two, and then come up behind her front legs to rejoin with the saddle. While the three work, Angela begins her explanation.

"We've only got ten hours, so I must give you the condensed version." She starts. "You all were out searching for a lost leader, Aro. Well, I know where he is. Obviously, you know that I am a different consciousness of Angela. We only have two, and normally we cannot and do not want to access the other. However, this is a dire emergency situation. The Angela you are speaking to at the moment is from a different dimension called Alagaësia.

"Alagaësia is a land of humans, animals, dwarves, elves, urgals, kull, and… Dragon Riders. That is where Aro is. Now, when, Alagaësia was first being populated by elves and dragons, vampires landed on their shores. Just one boat with three males; Aro, was one of them. The other two you call Romanian. A fortnight later they all disappeared for no reason. We haven't seen any of your kind since.

"Dragon Riders were like the law enforcement of Alagaësia and were only comprised of elfin Riders for a time. The dwarves came next, but of course they prefer to stay on the ground. Humans came a century later and joined the Riders. Not everyone was a Rider, though, because as you just saw, the dragon chooses its Rider from the egg. The Dragon Riders lasted centuries with pure hearted women and men. Then, a hundred years ago, a Rider by the name of Galbatorix went rogue.

"His dragon was killed in a battle with urgals. As you know, dragon and Rider share a mostly unbreakable bond. So, if a dragon's Rider dies, he or she dies also. But if a Rider's dragon dies, there is no guarantee that the Rider will as well. Since the pair's minds are so entwined, having a part of it ripped violently away sometimes drives the surviving Rider mad. That happened to Galbatorix. He killed another Rider and forced the man's dragon into a twisted bond with himself. He, a Shade, and a follower went into hiding for a year. When they returned, Galbatorix gained twelve more allies and started destroying the rest of the Riders. The thirteen with him were the Forsworn. By the time he killed all of the Riders, however, he was left only with his original sycophant, Morzan. Galbatorix then made himself king of Alagaësia.

"Morzan killed the dragon, called Saphira, of a Rider named Brom. Brom did not fall to madness. After Morzan had a son called Murtagh, Brom killed Morzan. Galbatorix raised the boy while Brom created a resistance called the Varden. The elves, dwarves, and the people of Surda, which is an independent country of Alagaësia, are all part of it. The urgals and kull have also joined our ranks because of Galbatorix's mistreatment of them. Galbatorix had wanted to destroy the rest of the elves and also the dwarves, but up until Bella came to the Varden, he hasn't known where any of their lairs are. He sort of found the dwarves before the Battle of Farthen Dûr. Seventy years ago, a friend of Brom's called Jeod found a map of the king's castle in Urû'baen.

"Galbatorix had wiped out the wild, unbounded dragons ten years earlier, but he kept three eggs so he could rebuild his followers as the new Riders. The map found by Jeod showed a secret passage into the chamber where Galbatorix stored them. Brom and Jeod went on the mission to retrieve the eggs. Something went wrong, however, and they barely made it out with one egg. The elves and the humans of the Varden made an agreement to ferry the egg between them each season to get it to hatch because they needed a Rider on their side."

A/N: I hope that didn't go too over people's head. If you're confused and have questions just pm me or ask in a review.


	3. Character List for Inheritance Cycle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was for those who don't know Eragon.

Character List for the Inheritance Cycle

Ajihad- He was the leader of the Varden before he was killed by urgals after the Battle of Farthen Dur; he was also Nasuada's father.

Arya- She is the elf who carried Saphira's egg between the Varden and the elves for seventy years. In the books Eragon also has an interest in her, but I'm not complicating things like that.

Blodhgarm- You haven't seen him in my story yet, but he is the head guard elf that Queen Islanzadi sent to protect Eragon in the book. You'll meet him once Bella and the Cullens get back to the Varden.

Eragon- Obviously, he is the Rider of the book, the main character. In my story he is actually Bella.

Galbatorix- He's the evil usurper king of Alagaesia. Bella and the Cullens must defeat him.

Glaedr- He is the dragon of the only Rider to escape the Fall, but he and his Rider are crippled.

Hrothgar- He was the king of the dwarves and the chief of the Ingeitum Clan before he died.

Islanzadi- Queen of the elves and Arya's mother. She's a little controlling.

Jeod- He was the best friend of Brom, though he believed him dead after their mission to get Saphira's egg.

Murtagh- The son of Morzan and brother of Eragon/Bella. Doesn't want to be under Galbatorix, but he can't escape him.

Nasuada- The daughter of Ajihad, and now leader of the Varden. She's only a couple years older than Eragon/Bella.

Oromis- Glaedr's Rider. He went into hiding with his dragon so that he could teach the new Rider and because he is crippled.

Shruikan- Galbatorix's second dragon who was forced to bond with him.

Trianna- Is the head witch of Du Vrangr Gata, the magic circle of the Varden.

Angela- A very old and powerful witch who decides to join the Varden. She tells Eragon his fortune while in Teirm.

Solombum- Angela's werecat. He's rather sneaky but likes Eragon.

Roran- The cousin of Eragon/Bella. After he went back to Carvahall to find his father dead and Eragon gone, he set about protecting it from the Ra'zac who came back. He then lead the whole of Carvahall to Surda.

Katrina- Roran's love. She got captured by the Ra'zac, and Roran enlists Eragon's/Bella's help in getting her back. They are married once they get back to the Varden.

Brom- He was a Rider hiding out in Carvahall. He had a dragon named Saphira, but she was killed by Morzan. Brom started the Varden. He died of being stabbed with a poison covered knife by the Ra'zac.

Orik- Best friend of Eragon/Bella, adopted son of Hrothgar, and now Dwarf King and Chief of Dugrimst Ingeitum.

Thorn- Murtagh's dragon. He's red, and like Murtagh, hates Galbatorix.

Orrin- the king of Surda.

Jormundur- He was Ajihad's second in command, and now is Nasuada's.

Gilderien the Wise- The protector of Ellesmera. He has to give someone permission to go into Ellesmera.

Please note that any places noticeably not familiar with our world are places in the book. If you wanna see the map of Alagaesia, search for it online so you can know where things are.

A/N: If anyone's name stands out to you and you don't know who it is, just let me know.


	4. Cullens, Part Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Here is the actual next chapter of this story.

Chapter Three: Cullens, Part Two

Alice's POV

"Earlier this year," Angela continues, "the King somehow found the trail used by the couriers and sent urgals and a Shade after the egg. A Shade is similar to a red eyed vampire except for the facts that their hair is always red, and they're made of spirits unwillingly trapped in human flesh. This Shade, Durza, laid a trap for the three elves with the egg. Only the fact that their steeds were of elven breed kept them alive long enough to send the egg away. The elf princess and elven ambassador, Arya daughter of Islanzadi, was the courier with the egg and had been for the past 70 years. Before she was captured by Durza, she sent it to Brom, who'd been hiding in the village of Carvahall in Palancar Valley."

Angela and Ben pause to eat some bread, cheese, and veal jerky. The sun is setting now.

After they're done, Angela resumes, "She didn't send the egg exactly to his house, though. It appeared, in the woods of the Spine, which are near Carvahall, before a young huntress. A girl, pretending to be a boy named Eragon at the time, because she was born sun-crotch. Her name is Arabella, and she found the egg. Saphira hatched from it for her. That was a first because she is a human female, and only female elves have ever became Riders because strengths don't depend on gender with elves. Elven females are stronger, faster, and more durable than human men, and they use magic. Arabella was on the same level as a human man before she became a Rider due to her status as sun-crotch.

"When Saphira hatched she began slowly advancing to the level of an elf. Anyhow, once she touched Saphira, the bond formed along with the mark that you three have on your palms. It's called the gedwëy ignasia, or shining palm, the mark of a Rider. Galbatorix was furious that the egg evaded him again, so he tracked where Arya sent the egg, and then he sent these hideous creatures called Ra'zac to capture it. This was a month after Saphira hatched, and she was big enough to fly. Arabella's cousin, Roran, had just left to another town for work, so it was just Arabella and her Uncle Garrow.

"Saphira was kept secret from everyone; only Bella knew of her, and she was kept in the woods near Bella's farm. When the Ra'zac came searching for the egg in Carvahall, the town butcher, Sloan, gave 'Eragon' away. Saphira flew her into the Spine in fear. Arabella did not get the chance to warn her uncle, so he died when the Ra'zac blew up the farm. Brom led them out Carvahall through the Spine to hunt the Ra'zac. Bella learned that Brom was a Rider. Brom learned that 'Eragon' is really Arabella, and began training her in magic and swordplay. He also gave her a Rider's sword called Zar'roc.

"A Rider's sword is tougher, more flexible, and more beautiful than a regular sword, including dwarf swords and regular elf swords. Riders' swords are impervious to most spells and fire. Now, they met me in Teirm while visiting Jeod for information on the Ra'zac. Then they were briefly captured by the foul beasts outside of Dras-Leona. Murtagh, on the run from Galbatorix, rescued them, but not before the Ra'zac managed to poison Brom.

"Brom died, and Saphira created a diamond tomb for him in an act of spontaneous magic; dragons can't cast spells like elves or humans. Arabella began having dreams, after that, of Arya who was being tortured by Durza for information that she wouldn't give. She was unconsciously sending the dreams to Bella for help. Arya was in the prison at Gil'ead, so Murtagh, Arabella, and Saphira went to the city to free her. Arabella was captured by urgals under Durza's command. She spent a few days there, then escaped with the elf with the help of Murtagh and Saphira."

In the back of my mind, I'm conscious of Lunam and the other dragons hunting and now returning. They each land around us as Ben, Angela, and Carlisle finish the saddles. The rest of us watch as they put the saddles on to make sure they fit. They're fine, so they take them off and lay them aside. Angela gathers her stones and puts them back into the pouch. She piles six logs together in the middle of our group and then turns to my dragon.

"Lunam, would you mind?" she asks.

Lunam shakes her big head and then looks at the logs. Opening her mouth the slightest bit, she directs a very thin line of violet fire onto them. The logs catch instantly and spread the flames to each other. The heat is intense for a few minutes as they retain their purple color before they lower to a scarlet hue.

"Once they were in the clear, the elf would not wake up, so Bella had to go into Arya's mind to ask what ailed her. Arya had herself in a self-induced comatose state because she was poisoned. So, she told them how to get to the Varden and the antidote, and they had to cross the Hadarac Desert. Bella, Murtagh, and Saphira had to fight slave traders and urgals, but they finally made it to the Varden's and the dwarves' hideout in the Beor Mountains. There Bella met Orik Thrifksson and learned that Murtagh is the son of Morzan. Bella also met Ajihad, the leader of the Varden at the time, and his daughter, Nasuada, who is the mate of Arya.

"The Battle of Farthen Dûr happened after they had been there for a while. Bella had to fight Durza underneath Isidar Mithrim, the Star Rose, which is the most prized possession of the dwarves. Shades are extremely hard to defeat and can only be killed by stabbing them through the heart. Bella almost died, but Arya and Saphira broke the Star Rose and distracted Durza long enough for Bella to kill him. That earned Bella the title Shadeslayer, which only three others before her have been called. The king of the dwarves, Hrothgar, was very angry at the destruction of Isidar Mithrim as were all the other dwarves.

"Murtagh and the Twins were kidnapped during the battle and Ajihad killed after that. The Varden appointed Nasuada the leader, and then Bella, Orik, and Arya left for Ellesméra, the capital of the elves' country which is somewhere in the Du Weldenvarden Forest. Once there, Bella and Orik met Arya's mother, Queen Islanzadi, and Bella was taught by someone in the ways of the Dragon Rider. It's another dragon and Rider who survived the Fall and hid. In the Battle of Farthen Dûr, Durza gave Bella a scar with his sword across her back from her right shoulder to her left hip, which crippled her with seizures of pain under anything too strenuous. However, during the Agaetí Blödhren, an elvish holiday, a spectre of a dragon healed her completely. It also made her look more like an elf and gave her their physical abilities.

"After a month and a half, Bella went back to the Varden, who since her departure had moved to the Burning Plains east of Surda, with Orik. There, they fought the Battle of the Burning Plains, against Galbatorix's men. The Twins showed themselves traitors when they appeared on the battlefield and killed King Hrothgar. Then we learned that one of the Varden's worst nightmares happened. One of the eggs Galbatorix had, had hatched. The Rider wore a helmet, so no one knew who it was. Bella and Saphira went to fight them, but they all wound up out of sight until the end of the battle.

"Bella's cousin, Roran, sailed up the Jiet River in a ship with the whole of Carvahall onboard. The men all helped out once they dropped anchor, and Roran killed the Twins with his war hammer, earning him the name Stronghammer. At the end we defeated that false king's forces, and they retreated. Everyone saw the red dragon and its Rider fly off, but Saphira and Bella did not appear. They finally showed up at Nasuada's tent with Roran in tow. Bella told Arya, Nasuada, and I that the new Rider was Murtagh and how he was forced under Galbatorix's command.

"She also told us the worst of her new knowledge courtesy of Murtagh: they are siblings, and Morzan was her father. She spent a short amount of time grieving over that fact because Murtagh had proven it true by speaking it in the Ancient Language, which you cannot tell a lie while speaking. Murtagh also took Zar'roc as it had belonged to Morzan before Brom killed him and took it. After that Bella helped her cousin rescue his beloved, Katrina, from the Ra'zac and kill them once and for all. Roran and Katrina came back upon Saphira, but Bella had stayed in the Empire to complete some task. When she came back, she wed Roran and Katrina, and then Nasuada sent her to Farthen Dûr to oversee the ascendency of the new dwarf king or queen.

"After Hrothgar died, Orik inherited the title chief of the Ingeitum clan of dwarves. The Az Sweldn rak Anhûin clan attacked Bella while they were having vote for ruler. The clan was banished, and Orik made king. Saphira joined them for the ceremony and fixed Isidar Mithrim. Once that was done, Bella and Saphira journeyed back to Ellesméra for more teaching and a sword. That is where they are now. The Varden has been steadily marching toward Feinster, and we are now a fortnight away. When we get there, we will lay siege to the city and capture Lady Lorana. Bella and Saphira have been in the elf capital a day already, and it will take at least three days to get to us.

"Now that you are all aware of the situation, I'll return to Aro. Galbatorix knew of Aro, so he brought him to Alagaësia so he can gain the upper hand. It was pure bad luck for us that his last dragon egg hatched for Aro. However, the fates let me know last Saturday that I could help turn the tide of this war if I follow the whispers in my head and act fast. I closed any and all portals between our worlds, starting with the one Galbatorix used. That one is already completely detached from each other. The one in this clearing is the last one open, and I want to send you all through it. I'm going to close it, though, and you will never be able to come back.

"Of course, you all have the choice to go or not, but I implore you your help. If you do go, I will have to tell you the many differences vampires have in Alagaësia."

Angela finally finishes the last of her story. The family and I look at each other uncertainly.

Angela adds, "Would it work in my favor if I mentioned to you that this world will end in one hundred years and you can't stop it?"

Our eyes snap to her in shock.

"This world's resources are being irresponsibly used and depleted, and the planet cannot handle it. There is already a decline, but the decline will become desolate survival of the fittest with earnest in fifty years. Look, Seer, if you do not believe me." Angela continues after our questioning looks.

Although Esme hasn't said Angela's lied, I look 50 years into the future. I gasp at the scenes I get: Washington D.C. on fire, other world capitals in the same way, people wandering around with weapons killing any other people they see or being killed by them, children doing the same, the land looking like a wasteland, and oceans and other bodies of water unhealthy colors with dead things floating on the surface. I look through 99 years of terror-filled visions and see the earth blow up on the hundredth year. I come out of my visions with a look of horror on my face. Edward who saw it all too, mirrors my expression.

"We'll go, but only if we can bring some other vampires with us. They're family, and they can fight too." I answer for my family with a shuddering gasp.

"How many?" Angela asks.

"Twenty-two. More than half of them are red eyes, but they all will convert to animal blood if they need to." I reply.

"It does not matter if they are red eyes in this world; the difference between red eyes and golden eyes, in my world, is very disparate. Just answer me this: do any of them enjoy killing humans?" Angela asks another question with that stoic face. "Do they enjoy torturing and raping their victims while they feed?"

"No, of course none of them do! In fact they hate feeding and other vampires who do such things as you just mentioned. They just don't have the control for our diet." Edward answers her this time.

"That is all I needed to know. We have six hours left until this portal can be opened; call these people you wish to bring. They must be here in three hours at the most, or they shall be left. Tell them to bring only the clothes upon their backs. Electric devices will not go through the portal. When your friends get here, I will tell you all what vampires are like in Alagaësia. Do what you will until they all arrive then come back to this clearing." Angela tells us.

We nod and stand. A vision hits me just as I'm about to ask Carlisle a question.

**Vision**

"I am so all over my video games! I can't believe I can't take them!" Emmett whines, sadly.

"Your games, my cars!" Rosalie responds, angrily. She turns to Carlisle, "We're seriously gonna go with that woman to 'another world', Carlisle?"

Carlisle sighs, "You heard her, Rose. We have to help them stop Aro. Besides, the world here is ending in a short amount of time here. Do you want to end your existence? And are you really going to allow Alice to go off by herself, because you know she will?"

Now it's Rose's turn to sigh, "This is so the Neverending Story!"

With that unstraight answer, Rose flashes angrily into the garage. Half a second later, the sounds Disturbed's "Façade" and metal banging around comes through the closed door. Each of them knows to leave well enough alone and go about their own entertainment. Carlisle for the stairs to his office to call our friends, Esme to her garden in the backyard, and Emmett on the couch playing PlayStation 3.

**End Vision**

I turn to Carlisle, "Do you mind if Jazz, Ed, and I meet y'all back at the house?" I ask, knowing the boys want to go fly and bond with their dragons like I do.

"No, go ahead. You must want to get to know them. Don't take too long, though." Carlisle answers with a nod and a smile.

Ed, Jazz, and I grin before flashing over to the saddles. We all easily put them on our dragons and climb on. I imagine the saddles would be rather comfortable for a human.

Ready for your first flight, tiny one? Lunam asks me with a draconian grin.

Most definitely! I exclaim, giddily.

With that there's a rush of wind as she drives her wings down and jumps skyward. I feel the shockwaves go through her body as she launches into the air. A boom resonates as she breaches the sound barrier faster than a military S.T.E.A.L.T.H. jet. I hear two more booms behind me as the guys break through too. A laugh bubbles out of me and joy fills my body to the brim. Ed and Jazz join me as our dragons crow in delight. Our dragons do amazing turns and flips through the air as they fly around each other.

"Hey, Jazz, let's go to Kóhlamek Island for a bit." Edward says to his mate, easily heard over the wind.

"Ewww!" I exclaim, shuddering in disgust as I get a vision of what they're going to do. "I did not need or want to see that!"

"Sure." Jasper agrees, leering at me with an amused smirk before the two turn their dragons west for the sea.

When they're out of sight, my shoulders slump as I think of the word mate. My mate is going to die in this world because I didn't find her in time.

No, she's not. Lunam states, solemnly as we land on a high cliff with the remains of a lighthouse overlooking the Pacific. Your mate—and that of anyone else's from this world who joins you—will be somewhere in Alagaësia.

Why? And how do you know? I ask, barely daring to believe.

I do not know why, but I know because Angela knows fortunes of the concrete variety, unlike your visions. She interprets things that will happen without doubt because of someone's character or rather the patterns of their character. Lunam replies, softly. Just like she knows that a friend of yours will find a mate in an elf guard of Arabella's, and that yours will be powerful but completely kind-hearted.

Just like that peace settles over me. Lunam senses this and says nothing more, allowing me to take comfort in her mere presence. She lays on her side, then, exposing her underside to me, and the heat she generates radiates toward me. I, however, am surprised.

I thought you were female. I say in confusion, not really thinking of my words.

Do I sound male to you, Alice? Lunam asks, amused.

No, but you have a—

I'm interrupted by her. Yes, because I am sun-crotch.

So, that's what that means. Interesting. I hum.

A few minutes later, Lunam shifts onto her paws and looks at me.

Do you want to see something beautiful? She asks, eagerly, her radiant violet eyes glowing with excitement.

I would love to; show me, please. I tell her, smiling at her eagerness.

She gives me her unique grin before diving snout-first off the cliff. She snaps her wings open only right before impact, making big waves with the air beneath her wings. Lunam opens her mouth and lets out her violet fire as she flies. She breathes my name out in fire over the water, and it truly is beautiful. I just hope no one sees them from the beach. Wait! The beach! Oh hell, I'm not supposed to be here! I jump up as I call my dragon with my mind. I'm so preoccupied I don't hear the dogs creeping up on me.

"What the hell are you doing here, Cullen? You're breaking the treaty!" Jacob Black growls from behind me.

I whip around to see him, standing just out of the trees in cutoff shorts and two horse-sized wolves growling behind him as they wait for the order to attack.

"I'm extremely sorry; it wasn't intended. I hadn't realized I was brought here until just now." I say, placatingly. "Please don't attack, Jacob Black; my family and I are leaving Forks in a matter of hours and never coming back. We are just waiting for some friends to arrive so that we can leave."

"Why are you suddenly leaving? And who brought you here without your knowledge? What about Nessie?" Jacob asks, suspiciously.

I know he only didn't attack me right off because of two reasons: one, I'm best friends with his imprint Renesmee Brandon, who happens to be my great niece, and two, my family and I helped destroy an army of newborns that came for her blood. Right then Lunam flies up over the edge of the cliff and settles next to me heavily.

"She brought me here because I wasn't paying attention to where we were flying, and my family is leaving because we're being called away. I'm not gonna force Nessie to choose between us; she's staying with you." I answer him as he and the wolves stare at Lunam in shock, awe, and some fear.

The other five wolves, that I know are still in the woods watching, come forward, pulled by surprise.

Who are they? Lunam asks, eyeing them with interest. They are big; can I hunt them?

"No, you can't do that, Lunam." I reply out loud for the benefit of the Pack, "They're wolf shifters who protect the people of the La Push Native Reservation. I forgot to tell you that my family and I are not allowed here."

Why? She asks, confused.

"We have a treat because they don't trust vampires; though, I would think we've proved loyal by now." I say, playing the memories for her.

She nods, and Jacob breaks out of his shocked silence.

"Alice, what the hell is that, and why are you talking to it?" he asks, incredulously.

I open my mouth to retort at the rudeness of his questions, but Lunam beats me to it, projecting her voice into every mind here.

I am a dragon, of course! She snaps, annoyed. And Alice talks to me because she can!

"Everyone, this is my dragon, Lunam." I tell them.

"Where the hell did you get a pet dragon?" Jacob questions.

I growl, "She is no pet! I am her Rider, and we are companions! Where I got her is really none of your business, but if you must know, a witch gave her to me. We should be getting back; no one will believe Carlisle if jasper, Edward, or I aren't there to prove it. Knowing those two, they're probably still going at it like rabbits. Jacob, please bring Nessie by the house; I'd like to say goodbye to her." I finish before hopping effortlessly into Lunam's saddle.

"We've got friends coming to the house, so if you don't feel she's safe, bring the pack; I don't care. But no one will be attacking anybody. We're leaving this world peacefully." I tell them.

I wave, and Lunam launches off the cliff again. It's only 7:30, but it feels later. I give Lunam directions to my home through our connection and then sit back and close my eyes to think.

We're back at the manor in minutes, and Lunam lands in the front yard gracefully. I hear feet hurrying toward us from within the house, then Tanya, Kate, Garrett, Irina, Laurent, Carmen, and Eleazar are all on the porch with completely shocked faces.

Tanya speaks, "Damn, Carlisle! You weren't lying!"

A/N: And there is your next chapter. Hope you enjoyed; just let me know if you have questions or anything.


	5. Conversions

Chapter Four: Conversions

A/N: All of the stuff I'm writing now really just follows the third book, but after the battle at Feinster, which I will take a different approach to, all the stuff I write is my own idea and plot since book four hasn't come out yet. By the way, I have links to pics of certain characters on my profile on fanfic: Lestat Giovanni if you wanna look.

Talitha2: I'm glad you think I'm a good writer. I hope you realized the parts I tweaked; they're for the plot to fit the Cullens. And as for your last comment, I was discussing the possibility of bringing two of the wolves with a friend and I will be doing that.

ShadowCub: As you asked, Leah will be joining the Cullens and friends, but Seth will be joining. Certain circumstances will make them decide to go.

Disclaimer: I actually need another one of these; the vamps will bear some qualities like the ones from Marked by P.C. Cast and her daughter. Also, some things I don't own is mentioned such as fashion lines or movies and music, I think.

Alice's POV

"Who are we waiting on?" Esme asks me, quietly.

It's near nine o'clock, and our house is full of vampires. Everything has been explained, and each of our friends has agreed to go.

"Amun's two fledglings. He says he and his mate are content with what is to come. I believe he said their names are Tia and Benjamin. Also, I'm waiting for Nessie to come say goodbye." I reply, just as quiet.

We've got the Amazon Coven, who drink animal blood, Kachiri, Senna, and Zafrina; all females. Kachiri and Senna are mates. The Denali Coven, our closest friends, considered "cousins", Tanya, Kate, Garrett, Irina, Laurent, Carmen, and Eleazar. Everyone but Tanya is mated. They also drink animal blood. Next would be the Irish Coven; Maggie, Siobhan, and Liam. The latter two are mates. Our nomadic friends, Mary, Peter and Charlotte who are mates, Randall, Alistair, and Charles and Makena who are also mated are here too. They and the Irish Coven drink human blood. Suddenly, there's a commotion outside.

Alice, those wolves are here with a girl, who looks very much like you, and your last two guests have arrived also. They don't like each other. Lunam tells me, smirking.

Thank you. I tell her, then out loud, "Carlisle, damage control."  
Carlisle is immediately beside me, and we go outside with Esme. On the front lawn, Lunam sits, amused, near the porch while the shaking Quileute Pack stands protectively, in front of my great niece, facing a growling Benjamin and Tia.

"Peace, please. There is no quarrel here. Benjamin and Tia, please join me inside so that I may explain completely what's going on." Carlisle says, calmly.

A sudden wave of calm and the flap of huge wings signals the arrival of Edward, Alaula, Jasper, and Nahele right before they land beside Lunam. Benjamin and Tia straighten from their defensive crouches, and the wolves stop quaking as they all look at the three creatures in wonder.

"Beautiful…" I hear Nessie whisper.

The dragons hear her too and turn to her.

Thank you, young one. They all say, projecting their gratitude so everyone can hear them.

Nessie jumps with a squeak, "You're welcome."

I look her over; she really does look like me. Same 5'2" height, same pixie-like features, and same electric blue eyes I had as a human. The only difference between us is that her raven black locks fall almost to her waist whereas mine are short, choppy, and spiky. We're of the same personality also, and she has that same cute Mississippi twang I had before I controlled it.

"Alice! Where are you going? And why?" she exclaims, jumping into my stronger arms.

"I'll tell you the truth, but you probably won't believe me. I wasn't tempted to when I first heard all of this." I state, smiling warmly.

Nessie scoffs, incredulously, "Are you kidding? My great aunty is still alive and young-looking because she's a vampire; my soul mate is a wolf shape-shifter; and I just saw dragons. I'm not disbelievin' anything, Aunt Alice."

I giggle, "Okay. You remember how I told you the Volturi are forcing everyone to look for Aro?" when she nods I continue, "Well, we found him, and he's in a different dimension called Alagaësia. The gist of it is that my family going there to save the land there from Aro and their tyrant king. It sounds like a child's fairytale, but it's true. Once we go, however, we can't come back because the portal is closing forever. We honestly don't want to come back, though, because our destinies are there."

Nessie's eyes bug out along with those of the Quileutes.

I continue, "I contemplated asking you to come with me, but then Jacob would have to come, abandoning his alpha duties, or he'd want to bring his the Pack, depriving La Push of protection."

"You're right, and I'm glad you didn't ask or try to force me to. Even though you're family, and I love you, I literally can't live without Jake. I'm sorry, Aunt Alice." Renesmee sighs.

"It's okay, Nessie. I really don't want you to have to deal with more of the supernatural any more than you do already. If you went to a land where it's part of daily life and accepted as the norm, your head may explode. You stay here, and live as normally as you can and keep the Brandon line alive. Don't forget about me, though. I love you, niece." I tell her with a special smile just for her.

We both hug as she lets her tears fall and mine cloud up my eyes because they never can.

"Alright, nine o'clock, everyone! Let's head out. We'll lead you to the clearing; Angela has some information to share with us first. Remember, anything electric you have on you leave it here." I hear Carlisle say inside.

I turn to Nessie then pull her over to Lunam and say, "Ness, this is my dragon, Lunam. Lunam, this is my great niece, Renesmee Mary Alice Brandon."

It is a pleasure to meet family of my companion. Lunam says, warmly into our heads.

"It's great to meet you too, Lunam." Nessie says, aloud, then pauses. "You'll take care of her, won't ya?"

Of course, I will, to the best of my ability. Lunam replies. Be safe, little one. May the stars watch over you and your other family.

Lunam then touches the tip of her nose to Nessie's forehead. My gedwëy ignasia tingles, and then she moves back.

"Thank you. You stay safe too, both of you." Nessie says a little dazed.

I lead her back over to Jacob and the Pack as the vampires come out of the house. Jasper and Edward go wait beside their dragons, for me.

I look Jacob square in the eyes as I say to him, "Jacob Ephraim Black, you are to protect my great niece at all costs and any family you create with her. If something happens to her, I will find a way back to this dimension to kill you."

Jacob stares back at me, respect glimmering in his black eyes, then he hugs me and whispers, "Alice, I'll die before something happens to her or our family."

I nod when he steps back, and give my niece one last hug. I'm about to turn to go mount Lunam when a voice calls out to stop me.

"Alice!" the girl's low alto voice is easily recognizable.

I turn around to the teens and confirm that it was indeed Leah Clearwater that had called me as she and Seth walk out from the woods. She isn't a Quileute, nor is she a wolf shifter, but rather a tiger. Her and her younger brother, Seth, both are, and they don't stink thank goodness. At the ages of three and one, somebody dropped them both off on the Blacks' porch and left them. They're natives, which is clear in their skin tone and sharp features, but not Quileute. When they grew older, they turned into tigers while the rest of the Pack turned to wolves. Leah had been engaged to Emily Young, Jacob's cousin, but then Sam Uley, Jacob's beta, phased and he imprinted on Emily. She grew bitter after that, and her brother was the only one to keep her from leaving the Pack. Because she's not a wolf, and because she and I share interests, we became best friends. I didn't see her, so I assumed she didn't want to say goodbye.

"Alice, can Seth and I go with you, please?" she asks, looking at me as if I'm her salvation.

In a way I guess I could be, since she hates this place so much. I don't even hesitate to think about it. "Of course."

"No!" Jacob says at the same time.

We both turn to look at Jacob who's shaking again.

"I wasn't asking you, Jacob Black." Leah says, coldly. "Come on, Seth. We finally have somewhere better to go."

"You can't! I forbid you!" Jacob says, trying to use his alpha voice on her.

He should know better; felines are largely independent creatures, and they don't listen to dogs. However, Leah isn't the one who reminds him. Seth, who is usually of the same cheerful and joking disposition as me and Emmett, is only sixteen but as big as Jacob.

Jacob's head snaps to the side from Seth's punch, and Seth says with rage, "You should know better than to talk to my sister like that, you asshole. We are tigers, and we don't answer to stinking wolves! Let's go, Leelee."

With that, he and Leah grasp hands and join the vampires leaving with us. I shrug and hop into Lunam's saddle. Jazz and Edward mount up too.

I look back to my niece and the Pack, seeing Jake rubbing his jaw, "Anything you want from the house, take it. It's going to be burnt down. Our cars and the money we've amassed have been left to you, Nessie. The same with Isle Esme and the houses we have around the world. I love you."

As soon as I'm done with my little parting speech, Jazz, Ed, and I launch into the air. I get a vision of Nessie making Jacob sleep on the couch for what he just did, and I giggle. We head to the clearing as the vampires, Leah, and Seth below us run top speed to keep up. I hear Renesmee mutter one last thing before I'm out of range.

"Beautiful…"

When we get to the baseball clearing, there is a large square, taking up about half of the clearing that could fit three baseball fields, marked by four blue flamed torches at each corner. In the middle are what looks like packs of supplies.

"They are for you." Angela says as she appears to the left of the square.

The flames flare brightly in her presence.

She continues, "Each of you needs to grab a pack, unroll your pallet, and lay down. Hurry now, please."

There's a rush of activity as we all do what she says with vampire speed. My family and I set ours up in the middle; I lay close to Lunam's warm belly, and my brothers do the same with their dragons. Our friends range around us.

When she spots Leah and Seth, Angela sighs and then waves her hands. Two more packs appear in their hands.

"Sorry; they joined at the last minute. Are they going to be any different in Alagaësia?" I ask, curiously.

"I wouldn't know; we've never had shape-shifters like them in my homeland. There are, however, elves who's appearances are close to an animals." She replies.

Seth and Leah lay down near me and Lunam.

Angela clears her throat to get our attention once we're settled, "Now, I will tell you what you vampires will be like in Alagaësia. Firstly, you all are going to have pointed ears like an elf and the upper fangs of an animal. Secondly, in my realm, vampires are living creatures; anything that is dead and still does things like it is, is very unnatural and evil. Your bodies will be alive; every facility that died here, upon your transformation, will be awakened there. That means you cry, you sleep, you eat, you sweat, you bleed, you have children, you use the latrine. The only thing you don't do is grow old."

When she says that we can have children, Rosalie, Esme, and Carmen gasp happily. Those three have wished for children for as long as they've been immortal.

Angela continues, "You will still be vampire, though, which entails that you'll still need blood. The only difference with that is you will need to eat food, drink water or wine, and drink energy. In Alagaësia when a vampire drinks blood, they also drink energy from the donator. That is why, in my world, you don't have to kill when you feed. You will have two stomachs; one for food and one for the blood and energy. The one for food is the size of Emmett's fist, but the one for blood and energy the size of an infant's. This allows you to give your inner animal its feeding with no need for a kill. That is the difference between red eyes and gold eyes. Red eyes relish killing though they do not have to. In Alagaësia animal blood is intolerant with your systems because you won't get energy from them as they have little to spare. To the red eyes here, your eyes will change to gold and stay that way as long as you don't drain a person completely. You will all know when you have had enough. If you ever must go without food, which you only can for a fortnight, that other stomach will grow a little to accommodate more blood and energy, but not enough to drain someone for. As you've probably guessed, Aro is still red eyed and his body dead.

"Now, for the next order of business: your abilities and attributes. Your brains are going to work there just as they do here; perfect memories and all. Now, if you add a healthy human male's strength, speed, durability, stamina, and agility to that of an elf's, you'll get your normal attributes. Obviously, like elves, how strong those attributes are will not depend on gender. However, you won't have better attributes than a Rider, even if you are a Rider." She says, looking at Ed, Jazz, and I before going on. "Now, if you've always been slightly faster or stronger than your fellow vampires, you'll retain that. Your senses of sight, smell, and hearing will match that of a dragon's, while touch and taste that of an elf.

"Any abilities such as Edward's mindreading or Alice's visions will be kept and amplified someway in Alagaësia. Next thing is your invulnerability. You will not be indestructible to humans like you are here. Your skin will only be hard enough that a human will have to be a strong male to slice you badly. They'd have to have the strength of two men, though, to run you through. Things of nature, like dragons or shrrgs or fanghur will be able to scratch you and slice you easily with claws and teeth. Also, steel, which is the only metal in Alagaësia that grows like plants, can slice you. Your wounds will heal instantly, though, unless they are a wound fatal to a human; those will heal slower.

"Red eyed vampires are still dead like you are here and turn people by infecting them with venom. Living vampires, like you all will be, pass the trait on through reproduction because, as I said, you can make children. Your children will grow like normal children. When they first partake of blood and energy, however, they will stop aging. They don't need it and won't have cravings until around their eighteenth year, but they must start drinking by at least age twenty-three or, they shall waste away. Now, vampires in Alagaësia don't sparkle, but there will be a glow about your body that is barely noticeable to the human eye. Golden eyes will have dark green nature tattoos all over, including your faces. Red eyes have black dark magic tattoos all over, including their faces. You'll all be as susceptible to fire as anyone else and sustain burns. Golden eyes are impervious to most weak, low-level spells, such as holding spells or throwing spells. Red eyes use black magic like Shades, whereas golden eyes have an elemental power, which you'll know by the nature of your tattoos and be able to use immediately.

"Now, for a last few things. Vampires are more primal than elves, almost to the level of urgals or kull. Listen to your instincts as they shall never steer you wrong, especially in the heat of battle. Those of you that have no mate as of now, you will meet them in Alagaësia. You will know them as soon as your eyes meet. The need to consummate the bond is immediate and overpowering. Do not try to fight it because it will only hurt you and your mate. Don't worry, though; you won't meet them at an inopportune time for the mating. Like here you will be able to hold your breath almost indefinitely because the things that keep your heart beating are the blood, energy, and food you consume; not the oxygen in the air. In this time of war, you can get your fill from enemy warriors, and you'll only need to every fortnight. Once things set up, each of you will have a blood and energy donator, who chooses to give willingly. When your race grows in number, we will have halls set up in each town where you can go for willing blood and energy. I say willing because the experience is pleasurable to those who choose to. The enemy soldiers you will feed from won't like it… That should be everything. Any questions before I start with the handout of important items?"

"Why can't we take anythin'?" Maggie asks, curiously.

"Because nothing of this world, but yourselves, is relevant or helpful to Alagaësia. The Alagaësian dimension is meant to stay the way it is because it does not need improvements as your scientists here think earth does. And that reminds me: once you get to Alagaësia, put on the cloaks in your bags, and then when someone gives you all new clothing, burn the ones you wear now. Anything else?" Angela replies succinctly.

"How are we killed?" Emmett asks.

"Pretty much just as you are here or burning you at the stake, which would be near impossible for humans." She answers.

"How do we tell which elemental power we have?" Eleazar questions.

Angela gazes at him and replies, "Well, you'll know because of your gift, but for the others, just have someone look at the tattoos on your back. There is one of four symbols that will appear in the center of your back about the size of a melon. The one for water is a stylized moon with three raindrops inside, growing in size as they go down. Fire is a stylized sun with the word Aiedail scribed along the bottom inside, which is the Alagaësian name for the sun. Air is a lightning bolt. Land is a great tree."

"Will we know if we need blood and energy the same way we do here?" Rose asks, wonderingly.

"Yes." Angela nods.

"That's everything, Angela." I tell her when no one else decides to ask anything else.

"Great! Gift time!" she says as Ben appears beside her with another, bigger rucksack.

She lays it at her feet and opens it before pulling out two rolls of parchment.

"Now, I had to draw these out myself, so perfect memories or not, don't lose these. They are maps of Alagaësia and surrounding islands. One is for the Cullens; you all are going to Ellesméra to meet Arabella, Saphira, and their mentors. I believe you will wake up half a day from there." She says, handing one roll to Carlisle. "You will need to go northwest for 15 leagues then stop. Alice, Fundor will help you talk to the guardian of the city."

Angela then turns to Tanya and gives her the second map.

"You and the others here will wake up in the same place at the same time as the Cullens, but you all will be heading south into the Hadarac Desert then southwest into Surda. Go west until you get to Dauth, and the Varden's army should be about a league or so north of there. This trip should take two days or so max for you. Your pack, Tanya, contains a white flag; wave it high as you come upon the southern flank. When someone comes, ask to speak to Lady Nasuada and me, Angela the Herbalist. If any of you carry a surname, discard it. We go by who our father or mother was or by our house name. The name Cullen would be counted as a house name; Matthewsson is the last name for you, Carlisle. Esme, since you're his wife, you must introduce yourself as Esme of House Cullen." She says, carefully.

She again goes into the sack and comes out with a leather-bound tome of medium thickness. She hands that to Carlisle.

"Give that to the Rider who is Arabella's mentor. Tell him I found it locked away and buried beneath the top layer of Vroengard, and that it will help Bella with Solembum's second riddle." She tells him.

Carlisle nods and takes the book carefully before putting it in his pack. Angela takes out three round, cloth-covered objects, and the sack it empty.

She turns to Jasper, Edward, and I as we're looking around feeling as if unfamiliar minds are near.

She says to us, "These are Eldunarí. They are a dragon's heart of hearts. If they so wish they can transfer their consciousness to them and disgorge them from their bodies for either the use of their Rider or to continue on after their bodies die so they can teach new Riders." She sets them on top of the rucksack and unwraps them, revealing yellow, black, and brown gem-like things about a foot in diameter.

They are almost similar to the dragon eggs, but these each glow iridescently from the center, showing hard different sized facets. The lights within them flare brightly.

"These are Vanilor, Fundor, and Ohen the Strong. They were mighty dragons before the Fall. It was never written in the records that these three disgorged their Eldunarí, which they did in secret as a just in case. This is that case because that false king, Galbatorix, has taken the hundreds of Eldunarí that were stored with the Riders." Angela states, handing me Fundor, who's black; Jasper the brown Vanilor; and Edward Ohen the Strong who's yellow.

"They will help bolster your stamina and energy for magic and help teach you all, Arabella, and Saphira." She tells us.

Three consciousness's of the dragons grow stronger as they touch our minds.

Hello, young ones; I am Fundor, 798 years old, and my Rider was Legolas Vanilsson. His old, deep, and powerful voice says in mine and Lunam's minds.

Greetings, Fundor-elda. Lunam replies, automatically. I am Lunam Miramelsdaughter.

I repeat after her. Hello, Fundor-elda, I'm Alice Annalynnsdaughter, Lunam's Rider.

After our introductions, Angela tells us a few last things.

"We have but five minutes until midnight, so I must say this. By the time you all get to the Varden, Alagaësia will have completely detached from this world. And Edward, one last thing to you: anyone of power can read someone else's mind if they can get through someone's barriers. Their power would be like Aro's, in that they would get every thought and memory of that person's life. As a Rider, you three will learn to erect barriers in your mind and to get past them in another's mind, but Edward, you don't have to go through barriers to get what they're thinking right the moment you do it. You can only get their surface thoughts, though.

"Also, don't be cautious of touching Aro anymore because his natural gift was drained away the second he first drained a person in Alagaësia. Carlisle, when you get to Alagaësia, you will meet Rhunön, who is the elf smith. She will teach you and Esme to make Riders' swords, but one of you must tell her that the weapon Arabella seeks is starmetal hidden where she was told; tell her to sing it out. She will know what you mean. Also, tell her she will soon have metal enough for thousands of years more."

With that said Angela urges all of us to lay down and try to sleep after Jazz, Ed, and I put away the Eldunarí. I lay back and close my eyes as I join Lunam in her dream of flying across the ocean. The last thing I hear before I drop into my first ever remembered dream (of dragons and Riders), is Angela chanting in that unknown language.

A/N: And another chapter for my lovely readers. If Angela's explanation sounded a little mixed up, I'm sorry. Let me know what you think and if you're confused.


	6. Alagaësia

Chapter Five: Alagaësia

A/N: Hey, guys, here's chapter five. Things are moving along just as I wanted them to, so this story will definitely be finished. For those who have been waiting eagerly for our two heroines to meet, finally the moment's here.

AmazonianTheifEss: I'm glad that my story caught and holds your attention. I really like this story and the way I can fit the two worlds together correctly.

ShadowCub: Thanks, Shadow. I had to think for a little bit to get their background basics just right. Tigers are also one of my favourite animals. And you're correct; the wolves are very jealous, and Jake has a bit of a power complex. He doesn't like that he can't "alpha" them around. Nessie still loves his obnoxious self though.

Crzy4anime: Thank you for reading and letting me know what you think. I've been reading a lot of WolfDragonGod's and Wolfpup's stories, and I thought this story would be a good start for that type of story. It's kinda an understated plot, and that drew me to it. I'm glad that you're interested in it.

Talitha2: Sorry, I just really wanted to make an impression on the Cullens; especially Rosalie because you know how she is. If you need to go back, that's fine, but at some point, some of the Alagaësian vampire traits will be mentioned throughout for a number of reasons. Alice's dragon, Lunam, name means "moonlight" in Latin. Jasper's Nahele means "forest", and Edward's Alaula means "dawn". Greetings from America.

Ororo12: I'm glad that you like my story and like the crossover idea. I actually got the idea to do these two stories as a crossover from a Bella/Edward pairing I came across. I never actually read it though, cuz I can't stand Bella/Edward.

KnightWulf: Thank you, Knight, for reading and reviewing. I'm glad you're enjoying the story too.

caradens: Thanks, caradens. I didn't think this story was gonna pick up too many readers after the third chapter, so I let the readers of my other stories about it to see if that helped. However, I've come to think that I'm fine knowing there are some that read and like this. I think it's a good story, and I obviously have people who think so too. Again, thanks for reading.

Now, on with the chapter.

Disclaimer: Just so you all know, if you didn't, I own neither Twilight nor the Inheritance Cycle.

Bella's POV

After learning so many important things from Oromis and Glaedr, even Saphira, I went back to my tree house for sleep. The next morning I did my daily ablutions then practiced the Rimgar. In the afternoon I make my way to the house of Valtharos to see Lord Fiolr about the Rider sword, Támerlein. Saphira is beside me of course, my constant and welcome companion, and I feel a sense of giddy anticipation; as if some good fortune shall smile upon me and the whole of Alagaësia soon. Five minutes later, however, and I am walking from Lord Fiolr's abode disappointed and still sword-less. We head for Rhunön's forge hoping to plead with her again to make me a sword. When she tells me of the brightsteel she needs, I immediately think of what Solembum told me of the Menoa tree. I tell her of my conclusion, and her face lights up. Before she can voice her own conclusion, though, Vanir, whom I sparred with on my last visit, runs into the forge.

"Arabella-elda, there are seven mysterious people here to see you. They are strange creatures, too, but they say Angela sent them and that Lord Gilderien let them into the city. And the most amazing thing is that there are three dragons behind them the size of Saphira. They are not hostile and carry no weapons, just bizarre clothing." The young elf tells me, excitedly.

"Okay, thank you, Vanir-finariel. Go tell your queen to, please, meet us in her throne room; they will be questioned." I order him, firmly, and then turn to Rhunön, "Would you care to join me, Rhunön-elda?"

The old elf woman nods as I draw my bow and notch an arrow. Rhunön draws a small, beautiful dagger before we leave her forge. Saphira takes to the sky to get to the entrance. As we make our way to the same entrance, I cast my mind out for Gilderien the Wise.

Gilderien-elda, did you let these creatures through? I ask in the Ancient Language when I find him, just to make sure.

I did, Arabella-edur. They are the help we need.

Okay, Vinr Älfakyn. Thank you. I tell him.

You are very welcome, Rider. He replies before breaking contact.

Rhunön and I finally get to the "entrance" where the few elves still here silently watch the newcomers with hidden emotions and reactions. There are seven of them, as Vanir said, plus three dragons behind them. As I take them in, Saphira lands gracefully beside me, and we stop fifty yards away to observe. The range of body types for the new creatures goes from the tiny black-haired female pixie to the giant of a man who looks like a darker and beardless version of Roran. The woman beside the burly one is statuesque and beautifully golden blonde. The couple beside those two consists of a tall, solidly built man with slicked back golden blonde hair and a caramel-haired woman, with a heart-shaped face, attached to his arm. The next couple is two males; the bronze-haired one surrounded by the mooncrotch aura and the honey blonde with his arm around his mate, protectively. The last person is the female with short onyx black hair that points in every direction in spikes. Her body is tiny, maybe around 5'0" or 5'1", toned, and lithe. They all have green tattoos running up their arms and legs and necks and on their faces. They really are strange, as Vanir said, and wear unusual clothing and footwear.

The first blonde male seems to be the leader. As we get closer, I notice their golden eyes, and I wonder at it, curiously. Also, an extremely enticing aroma reaches my nose from one of them; the smell of cherries and chocolate. The dragons wait patiently behind them. There is a violet one, a forest green one, and the last bronze. They're each about as big as Saphira.

The violet dragon is connected to the tiny girl; the bronze one to the bronze-haired male, and the forest green one to the honey blonde. Saphira informs me.

Thank you. I tell her then turn to Rhunön to tell her she can sheath her dagger in the Ancient Language. I extend my consciousness toward them, cautiously. The leader has no barriers in his mind, and neither do the others. They each are old, mean us no harm, from a different dimension, and a family. That is all I dig for. The dragons, however, are young and only hatched very recently. I don't go into their minds as that is considered rude. Just then, I sense three very old minds from each dragon's saddlebag.

Saphira, they have three Eldunarí with them!

Interesting… She hums then looks at me, questioningly, Shall we?

I nod, and the three of us walk until we are five feet away. I twist my right arm over my sternum. I step forward to grasp the leader's forearm and say, still in the Ancient Language, "Greetings, Friend. What is your name?"

He gives me a blank face before opening his mouth, revealing the upper eye teeth of a tiger or wolf, to say, "I'm terribly sorry, but we don't understand."

My face lights up, "Oh, you speak human. Forgive me, but I do not know what creatures you all are, so I just used the Ancient Language. I said, greetings, friends. What are your names?"

"Oh, that's much better. I am—'' he is interrupted as he tries to answer me.

"Argetlam! It is Angela!" Vanir jogs to me carrying a mirror.

He stops and holds it up, showing Angela sitting on a chair in her tent.

"Well met, Arabella." The witch says, innocently.

"Is that all you have to say for yourself?" I ask in shock. "You know how I feel about my situation, and you didn't tell me? How long have you known that I will have help?"

Angela sighs then answers, "Only since last Saturday, and I've been busy preparing. Also, I could not tell you until they decided to join us. I really just hope we can defeat Galbatorix before he tries to reopen a portal to bring more like Aro before our worlds pull away completely."

"Who is Aro?" I ask her, motioning the newcomers to follow as I move toward the throne hall. "We must meet the queen before she becomes irate." I whisper in aside to them.

"Rhunön, are you joining us?" I ask the smith.

She cracks the barest grin, "I suppose so; things are getting interesting again."

Before I turn back to Angela, I see the small, spiky haired one tug on Rhunön's tunic and whisper something that makes the elf woman's eyes widen. I don't listen in, though.

"Well, who is this Aro then, Angela?" I query again.

"I'll let your guests fill you in. Nasuada just summoned me." Angela responds before dropping the spell.

I sigh and hand Vanir the mirror back, "Thank you, Vanir-vodhr."

"Of course, Arabella-elda. If you need a sparring partner, send for me so that I may see if you can still best me." The young, black-haired elf says with a warm smile before walking away.

I lead the new creatures to the hall of trees, where I know Queen Islanzadí is waiting. I glance back to see our guest looking around in awe much like I did my first time here. We finally get to the doors, and they are opened by the guards inside. We enter, and the doors echo closed behind us.

That annoying raven, Blagden, crows just then, "Wyrda!"

Alice's POV

The first thing I hear upon waking is 32 hearts beating strongly, including mine.

Wait! Mine?

My eyes snap open, only to be met with muted violet light. I instantly sit up straight, whapping my head on the leathery tent above me.

Oww! I think, bringing up my left hand to rub my forehead. I pause, however, when I see dark green tattoos on the backside of my hand and arm. Then my memories come rushing back.

Lunam, wake up. We have a journey to start. I rouse my dragon.

Her dreams recede as she returns to wakefulness, and she lifts her wing from over me, letting in a rush of lightly chilled air.

Good morning, small one. Lunam greets me as she yawns.

Good morning. I return.

I look around our small encampment, seeing Nahele and Alaula similarly covering their Riders while our other traveling companions lay around us still sleeping. I take in the forest that's in the midst of spring to summer transition. The tall pines lifting over 100 feet in height feel old and point out that we're obviously not in Forks anymore. I look down at myself, noting that I'm still wearing my D&G heeled boots, Ed Hardy short sleeve tee(which ironically has a Chinese dragon on it), and designer skinnies. My skin, while still pale, has a light pink tint, telling of the blood now pulsing beneath it due to my newly awakened heart. It's also warm and not sparkling, with just a small glow that a human may or may not notice. My senses all still feel mostly the same. I can see like a super eagle through the forest; I can smell the sweetness of nature for a couple of miles; I can taste the clean, fresh air so different from Earth; I can feel, vividly, the lush green grass beside my bedroll; I can hear birds and other animals prowling around on their morning routines, for a mile or so. My stomach rumbles then, scaring the hell out of me until I remember that I must eat now, but first…

"Everyone, wake up! It's time to get going!" I shout to the vampires around me as I get to my feet.

All of them jump to theirs at my unexpected vocal alarm. Nahele and Alaula lift up their wings, unstartled, to reveal a flustered Edward and Jazz who were actually under Alaula's wing together. Each vampire around me looks confused, as I did, for a moment before they remember as well. They all look around the forest and each other in wonder.

"Well, this is certainly different; a good different mind you, but different." Kate says, drily.

And she's right. Everyone has golden eyes, blood flushed skin, and heartbeats. Before anyone can agree verbally, however, everybody's stomach rumbles for food.

"Well, we've got food in our packs. Let's eat!" Carlisle says, cheerily, obviously excited to be eating again.

We all roll up our pallets then pull the bag containing our food from our packs. I lean against Lunam's warm side as I fish the contents out. The meal consists of four big strips of veal jerky, a biscuit, and provolone cheese. We each also find a hideskin of water. After breakfast Carlisle and Tanya go over the maps once more before our groups split and head for our destinations. While they do that, Eleazar lets everyone know what their elemental power is. Carlisle, Jasper, Irina, Garrett, Siobhan, Mary, and Charles are all air users. Esme, Edward, Kate, Laurent, Liam, Randall, and Makena are all earth users. Emmett, Eleazar, Zafrina, Kachiri, Tia, Charlotte, and I are all water users. Rosalie, Tanya, Carmen, Senna, Maggie, Peter, and Alistair are all fire users. And of course, Benjamin has all four symbols connecyed by a circular line. Once everyone's done getting ready, I walk over to my best friend and her brother.

"Leah, we'll see you and Seth in about a week. Try not to get mad at anyone who will be your superior in battle; we all know you can take any of the humans." I tell my best friend after having a vision of her punching a man named Captain Edric.

She and Seth don't really look any different except for the fact that the black and white of their tiger forms shows at the roots of their hair and their incisors are large and sharp when they open their mouths. Also, they both have pure white tattoos that look vaguely Viking-ish on their backs.

"I'll try, Al." she tells me.

She and Seth give me a hug before running off after their group while I turn to mine. We set off.

We've been traveling since six a.m., and now it's 12 in the afternoon. I'm not sure how I know, but it's like I have an internal clock. The trees here are thicker and taller than the ones we woke up under, as well as farther apart to accommodate the increased span of their branches. The trunks—bare brown shafts that tower up into the overarching ribbed ceiling, which is smudged and obscured by shadow—are over 200 feet tall and seventy feet in girth. They all feel amazingly old, like millennia old. Everything around us teems with life and energy, especially the plants. My family, the dragons, and I all glow softly in the half-light here.

Suddenly, the gloom lifts to reveal an elf standing before us, sheathed in a brilliant ray of light that slants down from the ceiling. The reason I automatically say elf is because never has a human I've seen be so beautiful and graceful even not in motion. Plus, the pointed tips of his ears peek from under his black hair. He's clothed in flowing robes of green, with a circlet of silver on his head. His face is old, noble, and serene.

I reach for Fundor's consciousness and ask. Is this the guardian Angela spoke of?

Yes. Comes Fundor's deep reply. Ask him if he is Gilderien the Wise.

I step ahead of my family and bow my head slightly before asking, "Are you Gilderien the Wise, sir?"

The man smiles and inclines his head, "I am, child.

Tell him that you seek passage into Ellesméra for an audience with Saphira, Arabella, Queen Islanzadí, Glaedr, and Oromis. Tell him that Angela the Witch sent you to help finish this war with Arabella. Fundor tells me.

"I and my family seek passage into Ellesméra for an audience with Saphira, Arabella, Queen Islanzadí, Glaedr, and Oromis. Angela the Witch sent us to help finish this war beside Arabella and Saphira." I say to the guardian.

"Angela the Sneak…" Gilderien says wryly before asking me, "You would not mind me looking into your mind to make certain that you tell the truth?"

"Of course not." I reply.

Then I feel a gentle poking in my mind as memories of the past 24 hours flash through it. When he finishes, he gives an amused smile.

"Angela the Sneak… You may enter the city. I will have another elf attend to you." The elf man says in that same wry tone before he disappears.

I look back at my family and nod, going back to walk in front of Lunam while Carlisle leads us on another quarter mile. There the forest thins, and breaks appear in the canopy. Slants of mottled sunlight shine down. We pass under two burled trees that lean against each other and stop at the edge of an empty glade. The ground is strewn with dense patches of flowers. From pink roses to bluebells and lilies, spring's growth is piled around. The sweet aromas attract hordes of bees. To the right a stream gurgles behind a row of bushes. At first it looks to me like the many deer's beds I've encountered in my life as a vegetarian vampire. However, as I continue to stare, I start to see paths hidden in the brush and trees; soft warm light where normally there'd be shadows; an odd pattern in the shapes of the twigs and branches and flowers, so subtle that someone who wasn't a hunter most likely would not have noticed—clues that what I see is not entirely natural. What, at first glance, would be taken as clusters of lumpy twisted, trees are actually graceful buildings grown directly out of the pines. One tree bulges at the base too form a two-story house before sinking its roots into the soil. Both floors are hexagonal, but the upper level is smaller than the lower giving it a tiered look. The roofs and walls are made of webbed sheets of wood draped over six thick ridges. Moss and yellow lichen beard the eaves and hang over jeweled windows set into each side. The front door is a mysterious black silhouette recessed under and archway riddled with symbols.

Another house is nestled between three pines and rises five stories, light and airy. I can tell that Esme's inner home designer is going crazy over the beauty displayed here. Each unique building enhances and complements its surroundings, blending seamlessly with the rest of the forest until it's impossible to tell where artifice ends and nature resumes. The two are in perfect harmony; instead of mastering their environment, the elves had chosen to accept the world as it is and adapt themselves to it. A few inhabitants show themselves with wide eyes and neutral expressions. Then a young, black-haired elf hurries to us from the glade. He bows, touching two fingers to his lips.

"Riders, dragons, and travellers, I am Vanir of House Haldthin. Well met. I was sent by Lord Gilderien. You have a request?" the boy says, eyes very wide.

"Indeed." I reply. "I am Alice of House Cullen, and this is my family. We wish to speak with Queen Islanzadí, Arabella, Saphira, Oromis, and Glaedr. We have been sent by Angela the Witch to join you."

The young elf's mouth gapes and his eyes widen before he controls his expression. "Of course; I will summon them right away. Please, wait here."

Carlisle nods, and the boy runs off. My family and I resume looking around in awe.

"This place is beautiful. I wonder how they get their houses like that." Esme finally speaks.

"I agree; much more so than on Earth." Rose adds.

"I don't even care that they don't have Xbox; this place is awesome!" Emmett exclaims.

We all look at him in shock before once more turning back to the inspiring landscape. After a minute or two, I hear the beat of large wings in the air and soft footsteps on grass. A powerful and delightful scent comes to my nose, covering all the other wonderful aromas: mangos and brown sugar. It makes my mouth water and my heart beat faster. The footsteps stop for a few moments as the dragon Saphira lands beside the two people walking toward us, but I don't look up until they resume. The elf looks old, unlike the others I've seen so far. Gilderien has an old aura about him, but this elf shows her age physically. Glinting silver hair hangs in curls around her slightly wrinkled face, and she is just barely hunched at the shoulders. Saphira fits her name perfectly as she glitters like a sapphire under the afternoon sun. She's just slightly bigger than Lunam and moves like a big jungle cat. Her Rider is the one the scent comes from. Arabella stands at 6'1" with mid-back length reddish-auburn hair, sapphire eyes that match her dragon, pouty pink lips, and a toned and femininely athletic body. She also moves like a jungle cat. Over her beautiful figure, she wears a russet tunic trimmed with a light green, a pair of cream colored breeches, white socks, and light gray leather boots. Just as I'm about to look back up at her sharply gorgeous face, a vision freezes my gaze at her knees.

**Vision**

'Alice, you are so beautiful. A perfect mate.' Bella says as she kisses me feverishly.

'I could say the same of you, my love.' I reply, tugging off her tunic and baring her half naked torso to me.

Bella scoops me into her arms before I have more of a chance to admire her fit form. I feel something hard poking at my hip as she carries me to the big, white-sheeted bed, where she proceeds to remove my clothing. She leans in to kiss me again…

**End Vision**

As soon as my eyes unglazed, I keep my gaze on Bella's shapely thighs until she turns to lead us to meet the elf queen. I do, however, tell Rhunön what one of us was meant to tell her before we get to the throne room.

A/N: Alright, if you haven't, go check out the pics of people who play certain characters in this story on my profile. Next chapter should be up soon. Thanks to all of my readers. Love you all. Oh, by the way, I'm having a banner made by CeCeAsh, so that should be on my profile sometime in the near future; I'll let you know. Hope you enjoyed, and let me know what you think. Had to fix some things in here.


	7. Riders

Chapter Six: Riders

A/N: Hello, everyone. Back for another chapter. Just so know about it, I might exaggerate things in Alagaësia a bit. At first this chapter was rather long, and so was the next one, but I had to switch around some things.

sawa255: I'm glad to have another reader on board and reviewing. Thanks, and I'll try to keep the great chapters coming. Hope I don't disappoint.

ShadowCub: Yes, dragons like Saphira are a very good thing. However, there's still Murtagh and Thorn and Aro and his dragon. You'll all find out the name quickly. I have plans for Murtagh and Thorn that may include mates and possible true name changes. And one more member of the Cullen family will become a Rider because it'd be a tragic crime if they didn't. Can ya guess? Anyhow, I really like how C. Paolini made the elves so "one with nature"; they remind me of my ancestors. Also, because I know some people may be getting restless, action will be coming soon.

WolfDragonGod: Glad you reviewed again; thanks.

caradens: Thanks, and I know you weren't knocking it. I was just saying.

yurianimelover1: Okay, just to let you know, your review is my favourite so far besides caradens' first one and ShadowCub's. I'm glad you took the chance to read this. I probably should let people know in the summary that this is not based on that awful excuse of a movie. I completely agree with you about the movie! I was so excited to see one of my favourite books put into a live action movie, but as usual movie producers disappoint. They disappointed so hard with that movie, and I was so pissed. It almost made me want to write them a letter filled with verbal abuse. And C. Paolini for letting them do that to his amazing book! I bet he was mad too though. Anyhow, thanks for the respect and the compliment. I really enjoy this fic, and it's so much easier to write than my other two. I know for a fact that this one will be finished before them. Also, I didn't want to take the approach of Bella going to Forks from Alagaësia because that would have been much less exciting than this plot. The Cullens were easier to add to the "Eragon" world than I thought. None of them started off as Riders in my head, though. That came when I actually started writing. I was just gonna have Alice be told that her mate was in a different dimension and the Cullens go with her because they love Alice. This way's better. As for the sun-crotch thing, I wanted to try my hand at the futa/hermy plot, and it gave me a valid reason to mention Brom as Bella's father. But thank you for the kudos very much.

lynettecullen: You are definitely one of my favourite readers. I'm glad that you read this story and took the time to review each chapter. Thank you so much for your awesome support. Also, the fact that Brom is Bella's father came from the Eragon series cuz he's actually Eragon's dad.

To all my other readers who don't review but let me know you're there with alerts and favourites, thank you all for reading this story. Now, I'm going to stop rambling now. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Twilight belongs to S. Meyer, and the Inheritance Cycle belongs to C. Paolini. If I owned either, they'd be an awesome crossover like this one, and the movie would NOT suck!

Alice's POV

Our path ends at a net of roots that form steps. We climb to double doors set in a wall of saplings. I feel my heart speed up as the doors swing open, of their own accord seemingly, revealing a hall of trees.

"Wyrda!" some type of bird caws from somewhere inside as the doors close and I notice the guards behind them.

Hundreds of branches meld together to form the honeycombed ceiling. Below, 12 chairs are arranged along each wall. Twenty-four elf men and women sit in them; lords and ladies, I'd guess. Each of them looks wise, beautiful and handsome, with faces unmarked by time and keen eyes that gleam with surprised eagerness. They lean forward, gripping the arms of their regal chairs, and stare at us with shocked confusion and much hope. Unlike the few elves we've seen already, these have swords, belted at their waists—hilts studded with beryls and garnets—and circlets on their heads. At the head of the assembly stands a white pavilion that shelters a throne of knotted roots. On it sits an elf that is obviously Queen Islanzadí. She's extremely beautiful, like Natalie Portman or Keira Knightley, proud and imperious with two dark eyebrows slanted like Lunam's wings, lips as bright red as black cherries, and jet black hair bound under her diamond diadem. You can just barely see the pointed tips of her ears peeking out from her hair. Her tunic is blood red; around her hips hangs a braided gold girdle, and a white feather cloak is clasped around her throat falling to the ground in languid folds. By her left hand is a curved wood rod with a crosspiece. A brilliant-white raven perches on it, shuffling impatiently from foot to foot. He cocks his head and surveys my family and I with too much intelligence for a bird, then gives a long, low croak and shrieks, "Wyrda!"

Bella, Rhunön, and Saphira stop before the elf queen, in front of us. The two-legs bow at the waist, while Saphira bows her head slightly. Rhunön and Bella touch their first two fingers of one hand to their lips and twist their arms over their sternums in a weird gesture. The three of the two-legs exchange words in the Ancient Language, and then Rhunön moves to stand on the queen's left, Bella and Saphira on her right. The queen observes each of us unobstructed then.

"Have you had words with Lord Gilderien, your majesty?" Bella asks, quietly in English.

"I did, and I trust his knowledge and trust of Angela." Islanzadí replies, just as quiet. "However, these new Riders are untried. How long did Nasuada give you here?"

"A week and a half, but I'd really rather get to them sooner rather than later, lest Murtagh and Thorn show up while I am gone." Arabella answers.

"Good. If these creatures are what I believe them to be, then they shall not need so much time to be brought up to yours and Saphira's level. Rhunön Svit-kona, I will accompany you to awaken the Menoa tree for the brightsteel after I get them settled." Islanzadí states.

"Your majesty." Rhunön bows, but pauses a moment and adds, "If you would bring the two parents and Arabella and Saphira. Once we get the steel, the smallest one and her parents shall help."

Then the older-looking elf woman bows again before leaving the way we came.

Islanzadí then turns to us and asks, "What are your names?"

Carlisle steps forward and bows. "Your majesty, I am Carlisle Matthewsson, of House Cullen, and this is my family." He proceeds to point us each out and give our name. "My wife, Esme. Our children, or rather adoptive children, Rosalie, Emmett, Edward, Jasper, and Alice. Rosalie and Emmett are mates as are Edward and Jasper."

"And you are vampires, are you not?" the queen questions.

"We are." Carlisle nods.

The lords and ladies gasp along with Arabella.

"I had thought as much. I was not alive when your kind had landed here, but I know of you." She states. She gets up and walks gracefully to stand in front of our dragons and says, "Please forgive my ignorance of you, brightscales, but what are your names?"

Each of our dragons project their answer one at a time.

"Interesting… All of you join me, and we shall seek Oromis and Glaedr." The queen says as she begins to walk away. "Blagden." She calls, holding out an arm.

That white raven flies over to perch on her left shoulder while Arabella, Saphira, my family, and I follow her out to a large hill that turns into a really high cliff overlooking the forest. The cliff runs for miles in north to south and drops a thousand feet to the forest below.

Thud.

Just then the air shudders from the force of a concussion.

Thud.

Another dull blow makes my teeth chatter just slightly and my ears ring from the pressure on them. Wingbeats and very loud, very big ones at that. From beneath the edge of the cliff, a huge gold dragon rises with a Rider on its back, buffeting the ground with huge gusts of wind.

Thud.

Bright as the flaming sun, the dragon hangs before us all, hitting us with powerful eddies from its might wings. The dragon's body looks to be on fire as the brilliant afternoon sun illuminates its golden scales and peppers the ground and trees with dazzling chips of light. He's far larger than Lunam, even Saphira or both of them together, and proportionally thicker in his head, neck, limbs, and tail. The Rider on his back sits with startling white robes, contrasting sharply against the brilliance of his scales. These are Arabella and Saphira's mentors, I think, a feeling of awe surging within me. As the dragon turns to land, my family and I gasp; his left foreleg had been severed, somehow, by a terrible blow, leaving a helpless white stump in place of a once mighty limb. Tears fill my eyes as Lunam and I feel rage and sadness.

A whirlwind of dry twigs and leaves envelopes the hilltop as the dragon settles on the sweet clover and folds his wings. The Rider carefully descends from his steed along the dragon's intact front right leg, then approaches us with wide eyes and an astonished expression. He's an elf with long silver hair, old beyond measure, though his only sign of age is the great compassion and sadness in his eyes behind the shock. He really reminds me of Carlisle, just much much older.

"I had not dared to believe it!" the elf's soft but deep voice intones as he looks intently at my brothers, me, and our dragons.

"Oromis-ebrithil, Glaedr-ebrithil," Bella says, getting their attention as she bows to them and twists her arm over her sternum again, "these vampires are from a different world. They were summoned here by Angela who somehow found the eggs that hatched for those three. She sped their growth, but they are untried."

"I know the full stretch of this tale, Bella Svit-kona. This mysterious friend of yours sent me a letter by bird but minutes ago. She has already informed me that I can bring them up to speed in our allotted time, that they have three Eldunarí to them, and the dragons fly nearly as well as Saphira does now." Oromis announces, serenely.

Carlisle steps forward then, removing that book he is supposed to give to Oromis. "I was told by her to give you this." He hands it over.

Oromis grasps the book and looks at the title, eyes widening again as he reads aloud, "The Autobiography of Eragon!"

Islanzadí gasps, shocked.

"She also told me to tell you that she found it locked away and buried beneath Vroengard. That it will help Arabella's riddle from Solembum." Carlisle adds.

Oromis smiles then smiles. "I very much seem to forget my manners. I am Oromis, and this is my dragon, Glaedr."

Well met, vampires and kin. Glaedr rumbles with an impossibly deep voice. Who might you all be?

Carlisle and Esme step forward, and she introduces them. "I am Esme of House Cullen. This is my husband, Carlisle. We are the surrogate parents of the rest here."

Glaedr and Oromis nod respectfully at the both of them.

Lunam and I step forward next. "I am Alice Esmesdaughter, of House Cullen and companion to Lunam." I tell them, adopting Esme's title.

And I am Lunam daughter of Miramel, companion to Alice. My dragon states.

We each bow our heads, accepting their greetings before stepping back.

"I'm Jasper Carlislesson, of House Cullen, husband to Edward, and companion to Nahele." Jazz says next.

I am Nahele; my sire was Galzra, and my companion is Jasper. Nahele says.

They back up to let Ed and Alaula introduce themselves.

"I am Edward the Third Carlislesson, of House Cullen, husband to Jasper and companion to Alaula." He says, softly.

And I am Alaula, daughter of Lenora and companion to Edward. His dragon adds.

"I'm Rosalie Esmesdaughter, of House Cullen, and wife to Emmett." Rose offers, shyly. (shocking, I know)

Emmett grabs her left hand and says, proudly, "I am Emmett Carlislesson, of House Cullen, and husband to Rosalie."

"Well met, all of you. Now then, Arabella, I want you to read this book soon at some point in time, so you may find the answers you seek. Also, you need not come to my home until eight o'clock tomorrow. You six, dragons and Riders, come; we will start your training immediately." Oromis smiles, kindly, while handing Bella the book.

Carlisle raises his hand like a student and asks, "Lord Oromis, if I may have a moment; I need to measure Edward and Jasper for their swords."

Oromis nods, patiently, and Carlisle advances toward my brothers. He pulls from his pocket the knotted piece of twine, given to him earlier by Rhunön and takes numerous measurements of their hands and arms.

"They shall be back an hour before sunset. Islanzadí, please have Vanir wait at the courtyard to lead them to Rhunön's forge. Come, new Riders and dragons; we have much to discuss." Oromis says, climbing onto Glaedr's saddle.

Ed, Jazz, and I quickly follow suit with our dragons. Then all our dragons are rushing off the cliff and into the air.

Bella's POV

After they fly away, Islanzadí leads us all back to the city. She makes for Tialdarí hall, where guest are lodged. Inside is even more beautiful than the outside, just as I remember, and as usual Saphira must keep her tail in check as not to scrape across the wonderful garden in the gates. The queen weaves us through to the apartments near Arya's, while Saphira waits patiently outside the building. In the hall are only four doors, including Arya's.

Islanzadí points out two of them at the beginning of the hall, "Carlisle and Esme, you may put your packs in there; it will be your apartment for the duration of your stay here in Ellesméra. You will find a bundle of clothing in there for you. The same applies to you, Rosalie and Emmett. All of your old clothing will be picked up to be destroyed. Once you are all done dressing, we will go wake the Menoa tree. Your other three family members are Riders, and as such will be housed in the Rider's Glade."

Once she's finished each couple goes into their respective apartment. They're not even in there for five minutes, but each comes back out garbed in our raiment. Carlisle and Esme both wear white tunics trimmed with gold, green breeches, and new black ox leather boots. Emmett and Rosalie wear gray tunics trimmed with gold, lighter green leggings, and new black ox leather boots also.

"We are ready, your majesty." Carlisle states. At my bewildered look, I'm sure, he adds, "Vampires are a bit faster than elves."

"Well, then, I'm sure I should have stayed with Master Oromis and Master Glaedr, for I know nothing of your kind." I tell him.

"Do not worry, Shadeslayer; your mentors will fix that. The vampires were not here for long in any event, but there is a scroll about them, and I'm sure one of your fellow Riders can tell you about them. We had doubted they would be back after their mysterious disappearance." Islanzadí says, softly, and then she turns to the vampires. "We look forward to testing your abilities. A new race in Alagaësia will not seem so bad with the good ones here. Now, we needs must get Rhunön her metal. After that is set, you shall accompany me to the armory so you may choose a sword, other weapons, and armor. Come."

With that she leads us away.

Alice's POV

After the eight of us launch into flight, we all follow the white cliff northward for several miles, accompanied only by the sound of wind, wings, and heartbeats. We land in another clearing situated on the edge of the cliff, just before the wall of exposed stone crumbles back into the earth. A bare path leads from the precipice to the doorstep of a low hut grown between the trunks of four trees, one of which straddles a stream that emerges from the moody depths of the forest. Glaedr wouldn't fit inside; the hut could've easily sat between his ribs, though.

"Welcome to mine and Glaedr's home," Oromis says as he alights on the ground with uncommon ease. "I live here, on the brink of the Crags of Tel'naeír, because it provides me the opportunity to think and study in peace. My mind works better away from Ellesméra and the distractions of other people."

He disappears into the hut, then comes back with four stools and flagons of clear, cold water for all of us. My brothers and I sip our drinks while our dragons take droughts from the stream before coming to sit with us. We all admire the spacious view of Du Weldenvarden, content to let the elf speak to us when he wants to. Our dragons crouch calmly and quietly behind each of us too.

Then he says, "You all are as patient as Arabella."

"We're all nearly a hundred years old and used to live in a world where humans didn't know of us; we had to learn patience, but essentially we like a fast pace. Alice is actually rather impatient." Edward grins in response. "It's natural for all vampires though."

Hey! I yell at him in my mind, knowing he heard me, by the quirk of his lips.

Oromis nods with a small smile, "True enough. Let me see each of your hands one at a time please. I find that they tell me much about a person."

I sit straighter and allow the elf to grip my wrists with thin but strong fingers.

"Correct me if I am wrong about anything." He states then begins, "You have never wielded a sword, only drawing and art tools. You are a magnificent artist and carpenter."

"Yes. I love to craft." I state with wide eyes.

"You love nature and animals, but animals previously would not come near you because of what you are."

"Yes. Animals always have better self-preservation skills than humans." I agree again, sadly.

"Well, they will not have a problem with you now, for you are a Rider. Beyond that, you are confident in your near infallibility when you fight."

"I am because I have visions of the future." I reply, past my initial shock now.

"And you do not enjoy surprises." He says.

"Not really. When you can see the future, you become accustomed to knowing what's going to happen. I don't like that being disrupted." I tell him.

He just nods, drops my hands, and grasps Edward's. "You have held the sword of an ancestor, but never actually used one. You can play many musical instruments, though you favor the piano more than any other."

Ed's eyes light up as he says, "I do."

"You are moon-crotch, and you are excited to reproduce with your mate now that you are able."

Edward blushes slightly but nods.

"You always know what others' immediate thoughts are, and you are faster than others of your kind."

Edward nods again, and Oromis moves on to Jasper. The elf's eyes sparkle with respect.

"Ah," he says. "A soldier you are. You have fought with many weapons that you shall never see here in this land. You have fought briefly with a sword, but you excel in hand-to-hand combat. I am most impressed."

"Thank you, Oromis, sir." Jazz says, proudly.

"Not sir," Oromis corrects. "You may call me master in this tongue and ebrithil in the ancient language, nothing else. You will extend the same courtesy to Glaedr. We are your teachers; you are our students; and you will act with proper respect and deference." He speaks gently, but with the authority of someone who expects absolute obedience.

"Yes, Master Oromis." The three of us acquiesce.

"As will you all, Lunam, Nahele, and Alaula." He adds.

I can feel how hard it is to unbend her pride enough to say, Yes, Master, with the other dragons.

Oromis nods, "Now, Jasper, it seems that you enjoy history a lot, and you are a logical man as well as a brilliant war tactician."

Jasper agrees with him.

"Well, then, I'll say that each of you has much catching up to do, but not too much. I shall teach you more of magic and the ancient language. I will also teach you of the history of Alagaësia. Once your swords are finished, Arabella will teach you to sword fight properly." Oromis states, serenely. "But overall, Glaedr and I will teach you what it means to be dragon and Rider."

Glaedr adds, And I will teach Lunam, Alaula, and Nahele all they must know of their race. You all must keep your connections to each other open so that you may all be attuned to what your partner is learning. Come, dragons; we start.

With that Lunam, Alaula, and Nahele fly off the cliff with Glaedr. Once they're out of sight, Oromis stands from his chair and motions for us to as well.

"Magic, swordsmanship, and other such skills are useless unless you know how and when to apply them. This also I will teach you. Now, remove your shirts. Let me see what you all are made of."

My brothers and I remove our shirts, leaving me in my black lace bra, standing straight and squaring our shoulders. Oromis circles each of us, one by one, before returning to stand in front of us.

"Each of you looks like a statue as defined as your muscles are, which you have a more than fair amount of. You each are ambidextrous, are you not?" Oromis says.

We all nod. He then gives us a series of stretches to do which we complete easily.

"Good. You are better than Bella was when she started, but I'm sure that is natural of your race. That will save us much time." He comments.

As we stretch I can sense Lunam and the other dragons going through stretches, poses, and aerial acrobatics I've never seen before. However, they contort every foot of their sinuous lengths in amazing ways.

"I am not sure how powerful Angela is, but I am glad that she is with us and not against us." Oromis says as we end our stretching and reclaim our seats. "Now, let us see what Fundor, Ohen, and Vanilor have taught you so far."

For the next four hours, Oromis questions the little we know about the ancient language, magic or gramarye as its called, and swordsmanship. My brothers and I also pay attention to our dragons being taught about dangerous weather patterns and how to avoid them and about fireweed, which helps their digestion. We know, nothing of the plants and history of this land, but much of woodworking, medicine, and metallurgy. Around 6:30 Oromis leads us into his hut to eat dinner. His home is bare except for the few necessities for food, hygiene, sleep, and intellectual pursuits. Two whole walls are dotted with cubbies that hold hundreds of scrolls. Next to the table we sit at hangs a golden sheath—the same color as Glaedr's scales—and a matching sword with a blade the color of iridescent gold on Glaedr's neck and a yellow diamond for a pommel.

On the inner pane of the door, set within the heart of the wood, is a flat panel one hand high and two wide. It depicts a beautiful, towering city built against an escarpment and caught in the ruddy light of a rising harvest moon. The pitted lunar face is bisected by the horizon and appears to sit on the ground like a maculate dome as large as a mountain.

"Where is this? Is it another elf city?" I ask, gazing at the amazing artwork.

"Yes, it is. That was once our city of Ilirea. It was burned and abandoned during Du Fyrn Skulblaka, our war with the dragons, and became the capital of the Broddring Kingdom and now is the black city of Urû'baen, where Galbatorix resides. I made that fairth on the night that I and the others were forced to flee our home before Galbatorix arrived." Oromis replies, eyes sad again.

"And you painted this…fairth?" I ask, interested.

"No, we still paint, but I did not. A fairth is an image fixed by magic upon a square of polished slate that is prepared beforehand with layers of pigments. The landscape upon that door is exactly how Ilirea presented itself to me at the moment I uttered my spell." He answers.

"Ah." I say, preferring my way of painting.

He opens a series of cupboards hidden within the curved wall and removes breadrolls and bowls of fruit, which he rows out on the table. He begins to eat and motions to for us to do the same. While we all eat, Oromis tells us of the events leading up to and happening in the war. I feel Lunam and the others return, but they stay to themselves to drink water and rest. When Edward asks why elves don't eat meat, as we finish, Oromis tells us that meat is not a necessity but a cruelly harmful extra course of an animal we don't need to kill. Once we are done, Oromis picks several scrolls from the cubbies until he's amassed a big pile.

"These are history texts, the Liduan Kvaedhí, which is the writing for the ancient language, and a dictionary of the words we know in the ancient language. Read these tonight and tomorrow if you must. Tomorrow morning, though, you all will be taught the Rimgar by Bella. And you shall be sent to meditate one at a time. Also Bella, Glaedr, and I will teach you to put up and keep up barriers in your mind so only yourselves and your dragons will be connected. When you all leave the Crags, you will all who are fighting go with Bella and Saphira and Vanir to the training field for swordwork." He says.

We all go outside, and I put the scrolls into Lunam's saddlebags. Our mentors question each of us about our companion's lessons. We all pass due to paying attention, and they dismiss us. Ed, Jazz, and I climb into the saddles on our dragons, but before we can fly off, Oromis stops us.

"Alice Svit-kona, tell your father and mother to visit Faniri of House Mildr to learn to make dragon saddles when they have the chance tomorrow." He says, politely.

"Yes, Master." I reply, kindly.

With that Nahele, Alaula, and Lunam leap from the Crags of Tel'naeír and wing their way back to Ellesméra. It's now just about to be sunset. When we arrive back at the clearing we'd first came to, ten minutes later, I spot Islanzadí, Emmett, and Rosalie waiting for us. Our dragons land, one after another, and Ed, Jazz, and I hop effortlessly to the ground without them crouching. On closer inspection, I notice that both of my other siblings are wearing summer Alagaësian livery and armor. Over his short-sleeved tunic and breeches, Emmett wears a gleaming steel breastplate, silver bracers and greaves, and mail backed gauntlets. Under his left arm is a silver T-Face helm, and a heavy war hammer hangs under a strong, brown leather belt around his waist. The armor looks elegant but deadly on my brother's hulking form, and the helmet reminds me of the gladiators. The hammer is 38" long with a polished red oak shaft and a black leather wrapped grip. One side of the huge weapon's head is a round cylinder of steel with a four inch diameter, while the other side narrows out to a wicked-looking, curved spike. The whole head is eight inches from end to end. Emmett grins a toothy grin and hefts the hammer, easily, when he sees us looking.

My eyes move to Rosalie. She, too, wears a gray short-sleeved gold-trimmed tunic and light green breeches. Over that she has a steel cuirass, spaulders, bracers, and a cuisse. Her weapon of choice is a beautiful longsword with a tan sheathe, connected by a diagonal frog to her own belt. The hilt is hand and a half and sports a sharp, pointed pommel made of steel. The crossguard is slightly curved at the ends and is a gold color. Rosalie also holds a helm, but it's a nasal T-Face.

"Nice." I smirk in approval.

Edward and Jasper agree.

"Thank." Emmett and Rosalie grin.

"Your Majesty." Ed, Jazz, and I bow our heads to the elf queen.

Lunam, Nahele, and Alaula follow our sentiments.

"Argetlams; bjartskulars. I will be guiding you to your quarters. The rest of your family will reside in Tialdarí Hall while the three of you will stay in the Rider's Glade as that is your station." The queen replies before setting off.

She leads us to a glen of six trees with a large field of healthy green grass in the middle. The tallest of the trees is directly across from us. She takes us to the one beside us, which is also across from the tallest tree. The trunk is ridged with a delicate looking staircase that spirals up to a series of cubed rooms cupped and suspended in the tree's crown by a spray of branches.

Islanzadí lifts an elegant hand and points to the aerie. "You needs must fly there, Nahele and Alaula. Our stairs were not grown with dragons in mind. This glen housed the active team of Riders and their dragons while in Ellesméra. Jasper and Edward, I would not keep you apart. You may put your bags and saddles in your bedroom and meet me back here."

Edward, Jazz, and their dragons hurry to do as the queen suggests. She turns to me as Emmett and Rose look around.

"Now, Alice-elda, which tree do you want? I gave your brothers this one because it was meant for coupled Riders and dragons." Islanzadí asks.

I shrug, "When Bella and I realize our matebond, I and Lunam will stay with her and Saphira. That will be tomorrow night. Until then, I'll stay with my brothers."

Islanzadí adopts a stunned expression as her eyebrows raise high, "Oh?"

"Yes." I state.

"And how do you know that Arabella is your mate?" she asks, skeptically. "You have obviously not looked into her eyes because from what I remember of your kind, I would not have met you until tomorrow."

"Alice can see the future." Rosalie states with disguised cynicism.

The queen's eyebrows rise higher, almost disappearing into her ebony hairline. "Oh my! That is amazing!"

"Yes." I say with a small smile as I start up the stairs to my brothers' tree. "And it will help us end this war."

Lunam follows her kin to the top. The bark beneath my feet is smooth and flat from the many feet to walk on it, but it's still part of the trunk, as are the twisting slatted banisters by my side and the curved railing that slides under my left hand. When I reach the top, I climb through a trapdoor in the floor of the main cubical vestibule. A pedestal in the center has a dragon statue protruding from the top. Lanterns ring the room, illuminating three screen doors leading from the vestibule. I carry my pack into the door across from me, which I know to be the bedroom. The room overlooks, and is open to, the wide expanse of Du Weldenvarden.

A teardrop gap, large enough for a dragon larger than Glaedr is cut into the outer wall. There's a large, white-sheeted bed, situated so one can watch the skies while lying on their back; a fireplace made of gray wood that feels hard and cold as steel when I touch it, and a huge low-rimmed bowl set in the floor and lined with soft blankets where the dragons can sleep. Before dressing we all take our dragon's saddle off and place them near the fireplace. Each of them sits patiently while their Riders change. Edward and Jasper don light green, gray-trimmed tunics and white breeches with black ox leather boots. I put on a white, gray-trimmed tunic, yellow breeches, and black ox leather boots with socks that are so soft they feel like liquid when pulled through my fingers. As for underwearr, they give the boys an Alagaesian versian of briefs, which are just a little looser but still stretchy. I get a simple leather bra that buckles and soft cotton panties that are like boyshorts in shape. I don't have any problem seeing them naked since we all go skinny dipping a lot, plus we're gay! We all then head back to the ground.

A/N: I don't know if I mentioned, but I'm sorry it took so long to get this chapter up. Hope you all enjoyed, and I look forward to you telling me what you think in your reviews. So, explanation time for the armor as I'm sure at least some of you have no idea what everything is.

A cuirass is just a front and back breastplate.

Spaulders are shoulder and upper arm plate armor.

A cuisse is thigh armor, front and back.

As a rule, I much prefer plate armor to chain mail on people. Also, if you've noted, this is not beta-ed, so if anyone would like to do that for this story, I'd be much obliged because I keep finding problems after I've posted. By the way, the banner for this story, made by CeCeAsh is also posted on my profile.


	8. Swords

Chapter Seven: Swords

A/N: Hey, everybody! First, I'd just like to apologize for taking so long with this update. When I got done with this chapter, I had summer band camp and then school started. Once school started my junior status in high school ratcheted up my schedule to busy, so for the last three weeks I've been getting back into the swing of things as I adjust to the workload of an AP student. Plus, my schedule's been messed up twice already, so I have to drop band for equine science and replace band with soccer until next year. Anyhow, I'm sorry. I've got the next chapter written out and am about to start chap. 9. I'll try to update every weekend since I finish the chapters quickly. Again, if anyone would like to beta, as I don't know what happened to my other two, just pm me. Also, if there are any problems with this chapter let me know. Now, fan answering time!

Hell7Born7Tara7: I thank you kindly for likin' my story, and I've got the inspiration for this story just need the time to write and type and post. I promise I'll try harder to have the chaps up in a timely fashion. I've also already got a schedule thing for the story that helps with the writing. Anyway, thanks again.

lynettecullen: Thanks for reading, lc. The chap after this one is the one where they "officially" meet. And this chapter should give you a bit of a taste of action until they return to the Varden. By the way, I have exaggerated the power of a Rider here so the vamps aren't stronger than Bella because that would make no sense.

yurianimelover1: Thank you very much, yuri. I'm glad you're lovin' my story and that you got one of your friends. I won't stop writing this one 'til I'm finished so no fear.

ShadowCub: Those visuals are actually from "Eldest", but thanks anyway.

caradens: Thanks, and you're welcome.

Talitha2: Hey, greetings from America. I'm glad that this is one of your faves! You know, I never did notice that Alice was acting a bit like Jasper with her calmness until you mentioned it. I'm sorry to everyone, and I've fixed that with some, I think, well placed sentences to explain her lapse in character at the end of this chapter.

LadyNightV: Read on and find out.

Guardian: Thank you.

Secretly Immortal: You just took the place as my favourite review! Thank you sooooo much! I'll continue the love with more updates after this one soon!

candyhunter: Thank you also for joining on the Arabella wagon. I'll try not to keep y'all waitin' too long.

DaPhoenix: Thank you for reading. Keep it up, and I promise the lovin' and action is coming soon.

EmoBitch96: Thank you! I always thought Edward seemed like he was pms-ing all the time, so why not? (shrugs) Anyway, I'm glad you're enjoying it so far. The love is comin' soon.

Done with that the only other thing I really need to mention is that Alice remembers certain details about her past but not real in depth stuff. That also ties into how she's so calm and non-jittery.

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight and/or the Inheritance Cycle. Now without further ado, read on my eager readers.

Bella's POV

Islanzadí leads us deep into Du Weldenvarden, down paths tangled with nettles and currant bushes, until the lights around us vanish and we enter the restless wilderness. In the darkness, I can see perfectly with everything having a rosy tint because of the lack of light, and I conclude that the vampires can as well because they don't say anything of the darkness. The craggy trees grow closer and closer together until finally we reach the clearing of the Menoa tree. Rhunön waits at the base of the tree that is bigger than sapphire, Glaedr, Lunam, Alaula, and Nahele combined. Once we all crawl onto the nearly torso high roots, Islanzadí turns to the vampires.

"I am going to teach you all how to use your ancient language magic. Right now is your first lesson." She says to them. "Clear your minds and dig into the farthest recesses of your consciousness; there is an area wrapped around the core of your mind. That is your magic. You may feel that there is a barrier between you and your magic. Just will it away, and immerse yourself in the magic."

All of the vampires do as she says, and the tattoos that mask their eyes and run downs their bodies start to glow a bright earth green. Once that happens they each kneel and lay their hands against the Menoa tree's roots. The glow spreads into the roots, and Islanzadí turns to the tree. Saphira, Rhunön, and I join her in giving energy to the Menoa tree and singing to her. The tree's consciousness becomes clearer and more lucid as we continue until, finally, she stirs. Her vast intelligence strikes awe into me anew. Then a whispering voice, which reminds me of rustling leaves, sounds in our minds: Who is it that has disturbed my peace? Why have you awakened me?

Islanzadí indicates for me to speak first. I am one of the last free Riders, Arabella "Eragon" Shadeslayer, half-son of Brom.

The tree's attention focuses on me like eyes, and she probes my mind, sweeping through my thoughts like a gust of wind. What are you, Rider? Says the tree. I know every creature that lives among this forest, but never have I encountered one like you.

I am neither elf nor human, say I. I am something in between. The dragons changed me during the Blood-oath Celebration so that I may better fight Galbatorix and his empire.

I remember I felt a warping in the world during the celebration. She states before moving on. And the others?

Saphira answers, I am Saphira, daughter of Vervada, bonded with Arabella.

Well met, dragon, as long as you keep your fire away.

Islanzadí, then Rhunön introduce themselves. When the vampires are named and the leader tells the Menoa tree what they are, she comments: I was there when Aro, Zeus, and Dahlia landed on our shores before our war with the dragons. Were you aware that when we became immortal it was in a likeness to your kind?

She doesn't give them a chance to reply, but continues on to ask, Why is it that you have roused me?

Rhunön responds this time. A werecat told Shadeslayer that when in need of one, she can find a weapon beneath your roots.

Yes, and we believe it is brightsteel he referred to, which Rhunön-elda uses to make Rider's swords. If I have no weapon that can withstand Galbatorix's or Murtagh's swords, this resistance will have been for naught. I tell the Menoa tree.

And if we cannot stop that evil-tyrant-eggbreaker, the whole of Alagaësia shall suffer; including your forest, for he shall burn everything. Saphira adds.

The surface of the earth ripples as the network of roots that covers the clearing shifts slightly. The disturbance flushes hundreds of panicked rabbits, mice, voles, shrews, and other small creatures from their burrows and dens, and sends them scampering across the open ground toward the main body of the forest.

The tree's whispery voice returns. The werecat knew whereof he spoke; there is a nodule of brightsteel ore buried at the very edge of my roots.

My excitement at hearing of the ore's existence is echoed in Saphira.

You may have it if you promise to make certain that the usurper comes not near my forest. The Menoa tree says, sternly.

Vel eïnradhin iet ai Shur'tugal. I promise in the ancient language.

The ancient tree seems satisfied by my reply but says nothing for long moments. Suddenly, the canopy of the Menoa tree grows still, and for several minutes, all is quiet in the clearing. Then the ground begins to shake, and the roots before me begin to twist and grind, shedding flakes of bark as they pull aside to reveal a bare patch of dirt, out of which emerges what appears to be a lump of corroded iron roughly two feet long and a foot and a half wide.

Here is your metal, whispers the Menoa tree. Take it and go…

With that the tree withdraws her mind. I rise to my feet as Rhunön rushes to the brightsteel with a peculiar gleam in her eyes. The vampires' tattoos do not glow anymore as they come forward as well, with the elf queen.

"Is that enough for Arabella and our three new Riders, Rhunön?" Islanzadí asks.

"Several swords, if past experience is anything to judge by," says Rhunön, rising to her full height. "Let us bring this to my forge then."

I slide my fingers under the edge of the metal-laced stone, and heft the irregular mass into my arms with a bit of effort.

"What time is it?" Rhunön asks as I hug the metal to my chest and we all begin the long walk toward Rhunön's home.

"Two o'clock." Carlisle replies.

Rhunön nods, "That should be sufficient. Arabella, when must you all return to the Varden?

"We really should have left the day we arrived, but Nasuada gave us a week and a half with delays in marching for the Varden. I'd like to be gone by Sunday, however." I say.

Rhunön pauses, her expression introspective, "Then I shall have to hurry that which I do not normally hurry and use magic to craft that which would otherwise require weeks of work by hand. We shall not rest tonight, but I promise you, Shadeslayer, you and the new Riders shall have your swords by tomorrow afternoon."

Just as we arrive to the dogwood tunnel of Rhunön's forge, a white-garbed serving elf appears, summoning Islanzadí to talk with her general.

The queen turns to us before she departs to say, "I shall return as soon as possible for you, vampires, so you may choose your armor and weapons."

"Your Majesty," Carlisle speaks, "My wife and I are going to work in the healer's tent; we very much dislike engaging in violence."

Islanzadí just nods and moves away with the serving elf. Our group then moves into the atrium of Rhunön's forge where she has me deposit the ore onto the bench. I remove my tunic and shirt, so I don't ruin them during the work to come, while Esme and Carlisle follow my example. The eldest female vampire and I stand, unabashedly, in our simple leather braziers and breeches until Rhunön gives us all tight-fitting jerkins and fabric aprons treated so that they are impervious to fire. Rhunön wears the same at all times. Rosalie and Emmett only doff their tunics just in case their help is needed. Saphira lies just outside the open wall, watching the goings-on with interest.

Then Rhunön leads us to a low, grotto-like chamber set within the trunk of one of the trees out of which her house was grown. Inside the chamber are bags of charcoal and loose piles of whitish clay bricks. By means of spell, Rhunön and I lift several hundred bricks and carry them outside, next to the open-walled forge, while Emmett, Rosalie, Carlisle, and Esme manually carry out the bags of charcoal, each of which is the size of a man. Once the supplies are arranged to Rhunön's satisfaction, we build a smelter for the ore. The smelter is a complex structure, and Rhunön refuses to use much magic to construct it, so even with the extra hands, the project takes us a nearly half the afternoon.

First, we dig a rectangular pit five feet deep, which we fill with layers of sand, gravel, clay, charcoal, and ash, and in which we embed a number of chambers and channels to wick away moisture that would otherwise dampen the heat of the smelting fire. When the contents of the pit are level with the ground, we assemble a trough of bricks on top of the layers below, using water and unfired clay as our mortar. Ducking inside her house, Rhunön returns with a pair of bellows, which she and I attach to holes at the base of the trough. We break then to drink and eat a few bites of bread and cheese.

After the brief repast, Rhunön places a handful of small branches in the trough, lights them on fire with a murmured word, and, when the flames are well set, lays medium-sized pieces of seasoned oak along the bottom. For nearly an hour, she tends the fire, cultivating it with the care of a gardener growing roses, until the wood has burned down to an even bed of coals. Then Rhunön nods to me and says, "Now."

I lift the lump of ore and gently lower it into the trough. When the heat on my fingers becomes unbearable, I release the ore and jump back as a geyser of sparks swirl upward like a swarm of fireflies. On top of the ore and the coals, I shovel a thick blanket of charcoal as fuel for the fire. I brush the charcoal dust from my palms then grasp the handles of a set of bellows and begin to pump it, as does Rhunön the bellows on the other side of the smelter. Between us, we supply the fire with a steady stream of fresh air so that it burns ever hotter. The scales of Saphira's chest, as well as on the underside of her head and neck, sparkle with dazzling flashes of light as the flames in the smelter dance. She crouches several yards away, her eyes fixed upon the molten heart of the fire. I could help with this, you know, she says. It would take me but a minute to melt the ore.

"Yes," says Rhunön, "but if we melt it too quickly, the metal will not combine with the charcoal and become hard and flexible enough for swords. Save your fire, dragon. We shall need it later."

The heat from the smelter and the effort of pumping the bellows soon has me covered in a sheen of sweat; my bare arms shine in the light of the fire. Every now and then, Rhunön and I switch with two of the vampires and shovel a new layer of charcoal over the fire before we rest. The work is monotonous, and as a result I soon lose track of time. The constant roar of the fire, the feel of the bellows' handles in my hands, the whoosh of air, and Saphira's vigilant presence are the only things I'm aware of until Carlisle and Esme take mine and Rhunön's places. I go sit beside Emmett and Rosalie, as I don't want to sit against Saphira because of the heat.

"You remind me of my cousin, Roran, Emmett-vodhr." I tell the massive man.

He and his mate turn to me as he asks, "How so, Arabella?" with a big smile.

"Please, just call me Bella. And it is because you and Roran are of the same size and temperament, and you are as devoted to your mate as he is his wife, Katrina." I reply with a warm smile.

"Well, thank you, Bella." Emmett says.

His mate gives me a friendly smile when she asks, "Have you not found a worthy mate?"

I shake my head, "No. I'm not sure if you were told, but I am sun-crotch, which means that I have the reproductive organs of a male. I am half-son, so I take my father's mantle, as all sun-crotch do, to let people know. Sun- and moon-crotch people and creatures know their destined partners the moment their eyes meet. Once that happens we go into immediate sexual overdrive. My Uncle Garrow had a very hard time explaining this to me since the sun- and moon-crotch lines had mostly died out or weren't known anymore. Here, when a family has sun-crotch or moon-crotch child, it is because the souls of the child's parents compromised on the sex of the child as it was conceived. It is usually an unconscious thing because, of course, a man wants his line continued, but if he loves his mate enough, he would settle for a daughter. That kind of situation would result in someone like me. The moon-crotch is opposite. Either way, I have not met my mate yet, but I hope to soon."

"Are your mates only certain people; like a sun- and moon-crotch together?" the female vampire asks, curiously.

"No. The prerogative of the gene is to pass it on wherever possible, so we are mated with someone who will best help continue it, but they are also the other half of us." I answer.

Before they can ask anything else, Islanzadí enters the forge and beckons to them. They rise and follow her back out while I check the pocket watch Brom had left here with Oromis for me. 6:45; only fifteen minutes until an hour before sunset. Then Rhunön calls me to switch places with Carlisle and Esme.

Alice's POV

We stop only once more, at Tialdarí Hall so my siblings can put away their armor, before going to Rhunön's forge. As we enter we hear Rhunön telling Bella that we have to wait 'til dark to properly judge the metal for swords. Lunam, Nahele, and Alaula go lay beside Saphira while Bella and Emmett bring in three extra anvils. We each go sit on the bench at the worktable, but Islanzadí remains at the entrance.

"I am leaving tomorrow night. My army has almost taken Ceunon now and will start marching for Daret as soon as they do. All of you Riders will get new armor from Rhunön. If you have want or need for aught, you need only summon Vanir. He will stay here until you all depart." The queen says before exiting.

We return our attention to Rhunön and see that she didn't take much notice of the queen's departure. Reaching around her head, the old elf woman undoes the cord that holds back her black hair, then gathers her hair again and reties the cord. After that she gives me a tight, sleeveless leather shirt and a heavy fabric apron.

"While we wait, let us talk about your swords. Shadeslayer, how do you fight, with one hand or two?"

Bella takes a moment to think, then says, "It varies. If I have the choice, I prefer to wield a sword with one hand and carry a shield with my other. However, circumstances have not always been favorable to me, and I have often had to fight without a shield. Then I like being able to grip the hilt with both hands, so I can deliver a more powerful stroke."

My mind goes straight to the gutter when she says this, and once again I have to have Jasper help pull me out to listen to the rest of what Bella says in a nonsexual way.

"The pommel on Zar'roc was a little large to grip with my left hand if I had to, and the ridges around the ruby were uncomfortable and did not afford me a secure hold. It would be nice to have a slightly longer hilt." Bella finishes.

"I take it you do not want a true two-handed sword?" Rhunön says.

Bella shakes her head. "No, it would be too big for fighting indoors, especially with my height."

"That depends on the size of the hilt and blade combined, but in general, you are correct. Would you be amenable to a hand-and-a-half sword instead?"

A smile flits onto Bella's face. "Yes, a hand-and-a-half sword would be perfect, I think, as long as it is in longsword fashion because of how tall I am."

"And how long would you like the blade?"

"An inch or so shorter than Zar'roc; as you said, Morzan's sword befits my half-brother. He is taller than I, and Zar'roc a bit too long."

"Mmh. Do you want straight blade or a curved blade?"

"Straight."

"Have you any preference as to the guard?"

"Not especially."

Crossing her arms, Rhunön sits with her chin touching her breastbone, her eyes heavy-lidded. Her lips twitch. "What of the width of the blade? Remember, no matter how narrow it is, the sword shall not break."

"Perhaps it could be a little wider at the guard than Zar'roc was."

"Why?"

"I think it might look better."

A harsh, cracked laugh breaks from Rhunön's throat. "But how would that improve the use of the sword?"

Bella shifts foot to foot, embarrassed and at a loss for words. I almost growl at the old smith for making my mate feel so small, but Jazz help me again with an engulfing of calm.

"I will do as you say, for it is your weapon, but never again ask me to alter a weapon merely in order to improve its appearance." Rhunön admonishes. "A weapon is a tool, and if it is beautiful, then it is beautiful because it is useful. A sword that could not fulfill its function would be ugly to my eyes no matter how fair its shape, not even if it were adorned with the finest jewels and the most intricate engraving. Not to mention it would get you killed." The elf woman purses her lips, pushing them out as she thinks. "So, a sword equally suited for the unrestrained bloodshed of a battlefield as it is for defending yourself in the narrow tunnels under Farthen Dûr. A sword for all occasions, of middling length, but for the hilt, which shall be longer than average."

"A sword for killing Galbatorix." Bella says.

Rhunön nods. "And as such, it must be well protected against magic…" her chin sinks to her chest again. "Armor has improved a great deal in the past century, so the tip will need to be narrower than I used to make them, the better to pierce plate and mail and to slip into the gaps between the various pieces. Mmh." From a pouch by her side, Rhunön takes a piece of knotted twine, like the one she gave Carlisle, and takes measurements of Bella's hands and arms. Afterward, the smith gets a wrought-iron poker from the forge and tosses it toward Bella. She catches it one-handed and raises an eyebrow at the elf woman. She motions toward her with a finger and says, "Go on now. Let me see how you move with a sword."

Walking out from under the roof of the open-walled forge, Bella obliges her by demonstrating several moves. At this moment my Bella isn't just graceful; she moves with deadly grace, even without an actual sword. My nearly out of control hormones almost pull me and Jasper in again, but Edward pushes an image of a naked Quagmire into our heads. All three of us shudder in disgust without anyone noticing. After a minute, I hear the clink of metal on stone over the sounds of Carlisle and Esme talking to Ed and Jazz about their swords.

Then Rhunön coughs and says, "Oh, this is hopeless." She steps in front of Bella, holding another poker. Her brow furrows with a fierce scowl as she raises the poker before her in a salute and shouts, "Have at you, Shadeslayer!"

Rhunön's heavy poker whistles through the air as she swings at her with a strong slashing blow. Dancing to the side, a bit faster than Edward could, Bella parries the attack easily. The two rods of metal collide, creating sparks. For a little while, they fight, nearly matched with Bella just barely having the upper hand. Finally, they are forced to stop because the soft iron of the pokers has bent until they're as crooked as cherry tree branches.

The elf woman collects Bella's poker, and then carries them to a pile of broken tools. When she returns, Rhunön looks at me, "I will also make yours. How would you like you sword, shining palm?"

"I have never wielded a sword before, but I would like a hand-and-a-half sword with a straight blade a few inches shorter than Arabella's. I'd also like if the guard is claymore style and the blade as wide as Arabella's." I tell her.

She just nods and looks me over before taking measurements of my arms and hands. She gives me a poker and I mimic some moves I'd seen in movies and some Bella had done. Rhunön, however, beats me fairly quickly. When we're finished her brows are drawn as she thinks.

"Now I know exactly what shapes your swords should have." She says to Arabella and me.

"But how will you make them?" Bella asks.

A twinkle of amusement appears in Rhunön's eyes. "I won't. You two shall make the swords instead of me, Shadeslayer and Alice."

Bella gapes at her for a moment, while I say nothing, already knowing what she intends.

Bella sputters and says, "Me? But I was never apprenticed to a blacksmith or a bladesmith. I have not the skill to forge even a common brush knife."

The twinkle in Rhunön's eyes brightens, "Nevertheless, you shall be the ones to make these swords."

"But how? Will you stand beside us and give us orders as we hammer the metal?"

"Hardly," Rhunön says. "No, I shall guide your actions from within your minds so that your hands may do what mine cannot. It is not a perfect solution, but I can think of no other means of evading my oath that will allow me to ply my craft."

Bella frowns, cutely, "If you move my hands for me, how is that any different from making the swords yourself?"

Rhunön's expression darkens and, in a brusque voice, she says, "Do you want this sword or not, Shadeslayer?"

"I do."

"Then refrain from pestering me with such questions. Making the swords through you two is different because I think it is different. If I believed otherwise, then my oath would prevent me from participating in the process. So, unless you wish to return to the Varden empty-handed, you would be wise to remain silent on the subject."

"Yes, Rhunön-elda." Bella says, bowing her head.

They go to the smelter, which Emmett tells me they all made together, and Rhunön has Saphira pry the still-warm mass of congealed brightsteel from the bottom of the trough.

"Break it into fist-sized pieces," Rhunön directs, and withdraws a safe distance.

Lifting her right front leg, Saphira stomps on the rippled beam of brightsteel with all of her strength. The earth shakes, and the brightsteel cracks in several places. Three more times Saphira stomps on the metal, before Rhunön is satisfied by the results. The elf woman gathers up the sharp lumps of metal in her apron and carries them to a low table next to her forge. There she sorts the metal according to hardness, which she is able to determine by color and texture of the fractured metal.

"Some is too hard and some too soft," she says, "and while I could remedy that if I wanted to, it would require another heating. So we will only use pieces that are already suitable for swords. On the edges of the swords will go the slightly harder steel—" she touches four large stacks of pieces that have a brilliant, sparkling grain—"the better to take a keen edge. The middle of the swords shall be made of slightly softer steel—" she touches four large stacks of pieces that are grayer and duller—"the better too bend and to absorb the shock of a blow. Before the metal can be forged into shape, though, it must be worked to rid it of the remaining impurities."

How is that done? Saphira asks, projecting it.

"That, you shall see momentarily." Rhunön goes to one of the poles that support the roof of the forge, sits with her back against it, crosses her legs, and closes her eyes, her face still and composed. "Are you ready, Shadeslayer, Alice?" she asks.

"I am." Bella and I say at the same time.

When Rhunön's mind touches mine, I notice the low chords that echo through the dark and tangled landscape of her thoughts. The music is slow and deliberate and cast in a strange key. What this weird mental music implies about Rhunön's character, I'm not sure. It feels to me like a hat of raw wool sliding over my naked scalp, as if I were bald, as Rhunön envelopes mine and Bella's minds with hers, insinuating herself into the most private areas of my being. We shiver at the contact and almost withdraw from it, but then Rhunön's rough voice sounds within our skulls: Relax, Shadeslayer and Shining Palm, and all will be well.

Yes, Rhunön-elda.

Then Rhunön begins to lift our arms, shift our legs, roll our heads, and otherwise experiment with the abilities of our bodies. Strange as it is to feel my head and limbs move without my command, it's stranger when my eyes begin to flick from place to place seemingly of their own accord. As they move I can tell Bella's move in the same direction because when I see the trio of slender figures standing by the edge of the atrium she asks Rhunön who they are. Bella already recognizes Maud the werecat, in human form, but she stands beside two pale elves no taller than she. One of the elves is male, the other female, and they are both extraordinarily beautiful, even by the standards of elves. Their solemn teardrop faces seem wise and innocent in equal measure, which make it impossible for me to judge their ages. Their skin displays a faint, silvery sheen, as if the two elves are so filled with energy, it's seeping out of their very flesh.

Bella questions Rhunön on their identity. Rhunön glances at them, giving me a slightly better view, then, she said with her thoughts, They are Alanna and Dusan, the only elf children in Ellesméra. There was much rejoicing when they were conceived twelve years ago.

They are like no other elves I have met, Bella replies.

Our children are special, Shadeslayer. They are blessed with certain gifts—gifts of grace and gifts of power—which no grown elf can hope to match. As we age, our blossom withers somewhat, although the magic of our early years never completely abandons us. Rhunön says before continuing our earlier actions.

When Rhunön walks Arabella forward and her foot strikes the corner of the forge and she's about to fall, Bella immediately takes back control over her body and grabs the horn of the nearest anvil to steady herself.

Do not interfere, Rhunön snaps. If your nerve fails you at the wrong moment during the forging, you could cause yourself irreparable harm.

So could you if you're not careful, Bella retorts.

Be patient, Shadeslayer. I shall have mastered this by the time it is dark.

With those words, she moves both mine and Bella's body at the same time.

Once Rhunön decides she has sufficient control of our bodies, we get started. Carlisle and Esme have no problems at all while my siblings watch interestedly. Bella and I, however, have arms too short or too long for Rhunön, and she claims she doesn't have fine enough control. So, the elf woman has to alter again her method and has Saphira and Lunam help us with their fire. After that we continue with no further complications. We all work for hours, shaping the metal and singing spells over it, until hours before sunrise. At one a.m., after we finish forging, hardening, and tempering the blades, Rhunön removes herself with only the word "Enough!" as warning.

Slight exhaustion slides over me and I sway just a bit. If Bella is tired, she shows no signs of it.

"That will do. My vow will not stop me for polishing the blades and making the tangs and sheaths. Arabella, your mentor wants you to read that book, and I'm sure he gave you three something to study as well. Off with you, Riders; you can come and see your swords later today." Rhunön states, shortly.

We all nod, and Bella and I take off her shirts and aprons so we can put our tunics back on. I can feel the light sweat over my upper torso and shiver a bit as a breeze moves in the atrium. I turn and see a likewise sweat over my mate. I feel like pouncing on her once again, this time to lick every drop of sweat away as instincts and hormones flare in me for like the millionth time. With Jasper's subtle help, again, and the fact that I haven't looked into Bella's eyes yet, I keep myself barely in check. After mine and Bella's shirts are back on, Jazz, Ed, her, and I are about to leave for our trees when Rhunön stops us again.

"All of your armor will be done by the time you depart for the Varden, but what kind do you four prefer?" she asks as she slides a file over one of the blades without removing her eyes from it, like my parents are at another work bench.

"Well, as much as I like the dwarves' chain mail, I'd rather plate armor. A cuirass, bracers, greaves, and a cuisse are fine. Oh, and a shield if it isn't a problem." Bella replies.

Rhunön nods and turns to Edward, Jasper, and I.

Edward answers for us, knowing what we want, "We'll all have the same, but for me I'll add spaulders."

Rhunön nods once more, and we four bid everyone goodnight after I tell my parents what Oromis said. Our dragons stay and watch. Once back in the Rider's Glen, we say goodnight to each other and go up. My brothers and I stay up 'til four reading everything we were given, taking turns with the texts, and I can feel Lunam half listening to my thoughts so she may learn too.

After reading the last of the texts, my brothers and I can't hold in our very forcefully delayed reactions to all that has happened in the last 24 hours, since we had to really focus on the serious stuff. I was, however, going my usual "psycho hyper vamp girl" in the back of my mind since we got here. Jasper was extremely hard-pressed to keep me, Ed, and himself composed.

"We ate food!" Ed exclaims with a dreamy expression. "I never thought I'd do so again!"

"I'd forgotten how food and drink tastes." Jazz adds, gleefully.

"Out of the things I've forgotten about my life as a human, what blueberries taste like was the easiest forgotten. I'm so happy to have to eat again!" I tell them. Then my face takes on a blissful expression as I add, "But I am much more preoccupied with the fact that I met my mate today and will soon have her panting over my own gasping body!"

I blush a bit from having said that last part out loud (an extremely odd feeling of intense heat pulsing under my cheeks) but Ed giggles, "What did you feel, Ali-cat?"

For each vampire the way they feel when they meet their mate is significantly different but also essentially the same as another.

"I haven't actually looked into her eyes, but I feel so damn joyful!" I exclaim, hyperactively dancing around the room. "In the vision, though, my body was completely overrun with heated desire and infinite love for Bella! And that doesn't even sound cheesy to me! I can't wait 'til the war is over! I can't wait to marry Bella! I can't wait to give birth to her mini-Bellas! I can't wait to make love to her!"

By the time I'm done dancing and jumping around like the energizer bunny on crack with my brothers who joined screeching congratulations, exhaustion knocks us out cold on the bed with Ed's feet by my face and my butt by Jazz's.

A/N: Hey, guys, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'll be posting the next one this weekend. I also hope Alice was hyper enough for y'all. Let me know what ya think in a review. Until this weekend!

BTW: I was gonna put the revealing and naming of the swords in this chapter, but it's already long and there's too much build up to it, so it's gonna be in Chapter Eight: Mates!


	9. Mates

Chapter Eight: Mates

A/N: Hey, peoples! I'm back with another chapter of Arabella for everyone! It's the chapter, I believe! Everyone's been anxiously waiting for that über special moment between Bella and Alice, so here ya go! Also, I have to mention that a vampire's speed and strength are different in Alagaësia. In Bella's world, Edward can, at his fastest, run a bit faster than a cheetah. Emmett, at his strongest, can lift two fully loaded "pioneer" wagons.

Hell7Born7Tara7: I'm impressed that you were the first to review again. Thank you very much!

lynettecullen: Hey, your wish is comin' true in this chapter. As for the steps in the last chapter, I actually had to cut short the process; it's pretty much straight outta the book, but I added some of my own things in there. As always, glad you liked it.

ShadowCub: Oh yeah, I thought about doing that, but I thought that because Alice has super control, even without Jasper, that I'd make it so she could realistically approach Bella "calmly".

WolfDragonGod: It's good to hear from you. This chapter I hope can meet your expectations if not anyone else's since you're my "inspirer" for the sun-crotch moon-crotch thing.

caradens: Thanks, caradens. I believe this chapter will answer your question.

Chuma Mtu: Hey, dude it's great to hear from you again! Thanks for the support, man! And any time with the explanations. If you've got any more questions, don't hesitate to ask me, here or at school!

Paz23: Hey, thanks for taking the time to read and review my story, dude! I'm always glad to have another reader!

dark wolf of death: Just like I told Paz just now, thank you for reading and reviewing to tell me what you think! I hope I keep your attention!

Done with that the only other thing I really need to mention is that my chapters do seem to be getting longer (almost 30 pages of writing now) but the next one will mostly be a short filler for the time before they leave Du Weldenvarden. Anyhow, I hope everyone enjoys, and I hope I get more reviewers next time.

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight and/or the Inheritance Cycle. Also, there is no ownage from me on anything that sounds trademark. Now without further ado, read on my eager readers. By the way, I realize that they don't have any of the modern things I mention, but I couldn't help it, so this won't be all medieval England with the rotting teeth and bad-smelling "port-a-potties". Also, I probably should have put the naming of the swords in last chapter, but the way I wanted it to happen couldn't happen in there.

Bella's POV

The time piece Oromis had given me on my first visit to Ellesméra buzzes loudly at six o'clock, and I sit up alertly, barely feeling my missed hours of sleep. Saphira lets me know that she is going to hunt, and I ask her to wake up the other Riders and dragons so they can go to Oromis' house. Once she leaves I use the latrine, bathe, and brush my teeth. After I'm done with that, I clothe myself in my soft, white underbreeches, which coddle my length gently, a cotton in-lined leather bra, dark blue breeches, and a cobalt blue tunic. I leave my feet bare as I sit on the bed and pick up the narrative of my first namesake. I only got halfway through before I fell asleep at four o'clock. Nearly two hours later, I eagerly make my way to the opening of the room and call Saphira.

What is it, little one? She asks, feeling my giddy excitement.

Eragon and Bid'Daum hid his heart of hearts, and I know where it is! I found a hidden page, and they knew something like this would happen! I answer as she alights upon the ledge of the open balcony.

Well then let us go tell Oromis and Glaedr! Things seem to be working themselves out lately. She tells me with a soft stamp of her right foreleg.

Indeed!

I put on the saddle and jump quickly onto it with Eragon's book pressed to my chest. When I arrive, the dragons are just returning and the vampires are returning from washing. Oromis smells clean already, and he sits at the small table outside his hut as Saphira lands beside the other dragons.

"Master Oromis! Eragon and Bid'Daum hid his Eldunarí in preparation of the next great catastrophe of Alagaësia! I know where Bid'Daum is!" I exclaim, switching to Human so the other Riders can understand me.

"They speak the ancient language fluently now; you've no need to speak Human anymore. Now, tell me where is Bid'Daum, Arabella-elda?" Oromis replies as we join him.

I bow my head before answering in the language of truth, "He is hidden in a magically sealed cavern beneath Du Fells Nangoroth that only the current leader of the Dragon Riders knew of. It is called the Vault of Souls, and the entrance is said to be in the Rock of Kuthian!"

"And did the book say anything else?" Oromis asks.

"Yes, the heart of hearts belonging to the Unnamed Dragon and Vaggard are also there! We must free them and implore their help during our trip back to the Varden!" I tell him.

"Aye. But why is this information given so freely given that that book was always kept in the library for next generations to read." My mentor puzzles.

"Master, it was not freely displayed. As I was reading, a page beneath my shining palm began to heat up, and then it fell in two, revealing a hidden page!" I say, excitably.

"This is a promising development indeed. Of course, you shall free them. Here, I shall put the book into my library for safekeeping." Oromis states before taking the tome into his house.

Glaedr says, Well done, Shadeslayer.

"Thank you, Master." I say, bowing my head.

When Oromis returns he tells me, "We will now teach our new Riders to block their minds. And I also have scry-blocking charms for them."

He hands each of them a necklace with a hammer on it; they're identical to mine, and I know what they are for. The vampires put them on, and we commence the lesson.

Alice's POV

The next morning my brothers, our dragons, and I are woken by Saphira. The guys both get up with thick scruff on their cheeks, neck, chin, and under their noses; Jazz even has a minimally thick bit of hair on his chest, which Edward finds "extremely sexy" as he put it. My legs are only very slightly hairy. We each take turns in the bathroom, which has a floor tub with hidden but easily found nobs for hot or cold water, a wooden sink, a mirror, and a surprisingly advanced but simple iron toilet. Three toothbrushes, the colors of our dragons, and minty baking soda paste in a soapstone container are on the small shelf beside the wall mirror over the sink. Also up there are three old "Sweeney Todd" style razors and a cup of water foam. I am first in the bathroom and out pretty quickly; Jasper is the last in there. We each dress in clothing that is a light shade of our dragons' colors, pull on our boots, and put on our dragons' saddles. We pause for five minutes to consume the light mead, cinnamon bread, and blueberry oatmeal brought to us by a serving elf.

After finishing the delicious meal with beautiful wooden feastware, we all make for Oromis' hut. When we get there, the silver-haired elf sits at the table from before with five stools around it this time. As soon as Ed, Jazz, and I dismount and return Oromis' books, our dragons fly off with Glaedr after exchanging greetings. Oromis cuts right to the chase and begins teaching us the Rimgar, or the Dance of Snake and Crane. As we bend and contort for two hours, Lunam, Alaula, and Nahele learn about the wild dragons. Finally, we stop and head for the stream to bathe quickly. Oromis has us erect barriers of river sand between us for my privacy. When my brothers and I are done and make back for the table, Oromis is already there, and Bella, Saphira, and the other dragons are landing on the cliff edge. After Bella explains about the extraordinary good luck she's come upon, Oromis starts to teach us to set up barriers around our minds.

"First, you must imagine surrounding your consciousness with a thick, impenetrable wall of bricks or wood or clay or some material of your choice." Oromis states.

I surround my mind in a thick wall of unmelting ice. My face stays blank. I look to Oromis and nod. Suddenly, I feel an unwelcome tendril run over my wall. With no warning, the tendril turns into a battering ram and knocks into it. Five more knocks and a crack appears. Right then a vision tugs at my senses.

Vision

"Nessie, Renesmee Mary Alice Brandon, will you marry me?" Jacob asks from one knee, in front of everyone at the bonfire/graduation party.

"Of course, I will, you silly wolfman!" Nessie squeals.

Jacob puts a beautiful gold ring with a princess cut 24 karat sapphire on her right ring finger. Nessie squeals again and tackles Jake into the sand while kissing him senseless. Everyone there cheers excitedly while Jake's pack howls with delight.

End Vision

I come out of it, with a gasp, just as my ice wall shatters under Oromis' latest blow. Whoa, I can see the wolves now! I think to myself, forgetting for a moment where I am.

Alice Svit-kona, when you receive a vision, you must learn to let it play out in the back of your mind, so that you can focus the main part on keeping your wall up. Oromis says in my head.

"Yes, Master." I reply out loud.

He only nods before telling all of us, "Once you all have practiced erecting your wall enough, you will not have to erect them consciously besides in the morning. Now, if someone ever catches you without your walls while you are conscious or they have made it past your wall, instantly erect an image or word that is insignificant and hold it there."

Oromis has my brothers and I try repeatedly, and he and Bella test us while Glaedr and Saphira do the same with our dragons. By the time lunch rolls around, we have all mastered keeping our walls up and holding our images. I even succeed with replaying my earlier vision and holding up my unmelting wall. At noon Oromis brings out mulled apple cider, bread, and a cabbage soup he's had simmering since we arrived.

"Bella, I have a surprise for you." He says before going back inside.

The dragons fly off to hunt for their lunch. Oromis comes back out with an ashwood platter, on which sits what looks like a roasted pheasant.

Bella is shocked as she says, "But Master—"

Oromis cuts her off, "Do not worry, young one. This poor bird was killed by a hawk in a fight this morning. And I told you that elves will eat meat on occasion, but only so long as the animal was already dead. You three may also have some."

The last part he says to me and my brothers, and we share with Bella. New flavors burst over my tongue as I eat the delicious food. By the delighted expressions on my brothers' faces, they really enjoy the food. The pheasant has a salty, spicy flavor, and it's juicy. The cabbage is also salty, but not as much so. The apple cider is cold and sweet and tangy. I love eating! Once we are all finished and full, we scour our dishes clean with sand. Oromis produces a book and hands it to Bella.

"This was written by Kaleya of House Tarlen. She was the only being to mate with one of the vampires who landed here before my time. She was the soulbonded of Zeus Garricksson, and he allowed her to write about his kind while they were both still in Alagaësia. Read this, and you will understand the last of Alagaësian history." He states. "Now, I believe that you all have swords to receive and training to do. Edward, Alice, Jasper, if you would leave Fundor, Ohen, and Vanilor by Glaedr before you depart, please."

"Yes, Master." the four of us reply. "Good day."

We all exit his hut and go to our respective dragons Ed, Jazz, and I do as we were told while Bella puts her new book in Saphira's saddlebags. Oromis and Glaedr test us as they did yesterday, and we pass again.

"Oh, and Bella, once you finish reading, give the tome to the vampires so they may fully know of themselves." Oromis says.

"Yes, Master. Good day, Master Glaedr." She says.

We all respond in kind before our dragons do the same. Bella and Saphira lead us into the air, angling for Rhunön's house.

Bella's POV

Once in the air, I greet Saphira affectionately before casting my mind for that of Vanir. He responds immediately when I announce myself.

Yes, Arabella-elda?

Please meet me, Saphira, and the other Riders and dragons at the training field with your sword, and bring the other four Cullens with their weapons. I order, kindly.

Of course, Silverhand. The elf says before breaking contact.

Near ten minutes later, we each land gracefully outside of Rhunön's forge. We dismount as the elf woman comes out.

"Good morrow, Rhunön Svit-kona." I say touching two fingers to my lips.

"Shadeslayer, Silverhand, and Brightscales, I have your swords ready." Rhunön replies, beckoning us to her work table.

A length of white cloth lay over each sword.

"I have done the impossible," she says, the words horse. "I made two swords when I swore never to make tools of destruction again. What is more, I made them in less than a day and with hands not my own. Also, I have let others make two more with my technique. Yet these swords are not crude or shoddy! No! two are the finest swords I have ever forged, and the other two are their equal by two different people. I would have preferred to use less magic during the process, but that is my only qualm, and it is a small one compared to the perfection of the results. Behold!"

Grasping the corner of the closest cloth, Rhunön pulls it off, revealing the sword.

I gasp. The sword I see on the work table is as magnificent as Zar'roc, Naegling, and Támerlein and in my opinion, more beautiful than any of them. Covering the blade is a glossy scabbard of the same dark blue as the scales on Saphira's back. The color displays a slight variegation, like the mottled light at the bottom of a clear forest pond. A piece of blued brightsteel carved into the shape of a leaf caps the end of the scabbard while a collar of the same color decorated with stylized vines encircles the mouth. The cornered crossguard is also made of blued brightsteel, as are the four ribs that hold in place the large sapphire that forms the pommel. The hand-and-a-half hilt is made of hard black wood.

Overcome by a sense of reverence, I reach out toward the sword, then pause and glance at Rhunön. "May I?" I ask.

She inclines her head. "You may. I give it to thee, Shadeslayer."

I lift the sword from the table. The metal scabbard and the wood of the hilt are cool to the touch. For several minutes, I marvel at the details on the scabbard and the guard and the pommel. Then I tighten my grip around the hilt and unsheathe the blade.

Like the rest of the sword, the blade is blue, but of a slightly lighter shade; it's the blue of the scales in the hollow of Saphira's throat rather than the blue of those on her back. And as it is on Zar'roc, the color is iridescent; as I move the sword about, the color shimmers and shifts, displaying any of the many tones of blue present on Saphira. Through the wash of color, the cable-like patterns within the brightsteel and the pale bands along the edges are still visible, and there is a bloodgroove down its middle.

With a single hand, I swing the sword through the air, and I laugh at how light and fast it feels. The sword almost seems alive. I lay the scabbard on the table and grasp the sword with both hands then and am delighted to find that they fit perfectly on the longer hilt. Lunging forward, I stab at an imaginary enemy and am confident they would have died from the attack.

"Here," says Rhunön, and points at one of four bundles of three iron rods planted upright in the ground outside the forge. "Try it on those."

I take a single step toward the rods, and, with a yell, slash downward diagonally, cutting through all three rods. The blade emits a single pure note that slowly fades into silence. When I examine the edge where it had struck the iron, I see that the impact has not damaged it in the slightest.

"Are you well pleased, Dragon Rider?" Rhunön asks.

"More than pleased, Rhunön-elda," I say, and bow to her. "I do not know how I can thank you for such a gift."

"You may thank me by killing Galbatorix. If there is any sword destined to slay that mad king, it is this one."

"I shall try my hardest, Rhunön-elda."

The elf woman nods, appearing satisfied. "Well, you finally have a sword of your own, which is as it ought to be. Now you are truly a Dragon Rider!"

"Yes," I say, and hold up my sword toward the sky, admiring it. "Now I am truly a Rider."

"One last thing remains for you to do," says Rhunön.

"Oh?"

She flicks a finger toward the sword. "You must name it so I can mark the blade and scabbard with the appropriate glyph."

I walk over to Saphira and say, What do you think?

I am not the one who must carry the blade. Name it as you see fit.

Yes, but must have some ideas!

She lowers her head toward me and sniffs at the sword, then says, Blue-gem-tooth is what I would name it. Or Blue-claw-red.

That would sound ridiculous to humans. I chuckle.

Then what of Reaver or Gutripper? Or maybe Battleclaw or Glitterthorn or Limbhacker? You could call it Terror or Pain or Armbiter or Eversharp or Ripplescale: that on account of the lines in the steel. There is also Tongue of Death and Elfsteel and Starmetal and many other besides.

Her sudden outpouring surprises me. You have a talent for this, I say.

Inventing random names is easy. Inventing the right name, however, can try the patience of even an elf.

What of Hope in the ancient language? Wouldn't it be fitting if I were to wield a sword that by its very name would counteract Zar'roc?

A noble sentiment, says Saphira. But do you really want to give your enemies hope? Do you want to stab Galbatorix with hope?

It's an amusing pun, I say, chuckling.

Once, maybe, but no more.

I study the play of light on the blade as I chew my bottom lip. As I gaze into the depths of the steel, my eye chances upon the flame-like pattern that marks the transition between the softer steel of the spine and the harder steel of the edges, and I recall the word Brom had used to light his pipe during the memory Saphira had shared with me. Then I think of Yazuac, where I'd first used magic, and also of my duel with Durza in Farthen Dûr, and in that instant I know without a doubt that I have found the right name for my sword.

I consult with Saphira, and when she agrees with my choice, I lift the weapon to shoulder level and say, "I am decided. Sword, I name thee Brisingr!"

Alice's POV

With a sound like rushing wind, the blade in Bella's hand burst into flames, an envelope of sapphire blue flames writhing around the razor-sharp steel. Bella utters a startled cry, but doesn't drop the sword as she realizes it's only on the blade. The fire suddenly goes out while she looks at it, puzzled.

A heavy scowl on her face, Rhunön stalks forward, snatches the sword from Bella, and examines it tip to pommel. "You are fortunate I have already protected it with wards against heat and damage, else you would have destroyed the temper of the blade." Appearing somewhat mollified, Rhunön hands the sword back to Bella. "Did you set fire to it on purpose?" she asks.

"No," Bella says, unable to explain what had happened.

"Say it again," Rhunön orders.

Bella exclaims, "Brisingr!"

A column of flickering flames engulfs the blade of the sword. After a few moments, she extinguishes the smokeless fire. Once more she exclaims, "Brisingr!" and once more the blade shimmers with blue, wraith-like tongues of flames.

Now there is a fitting sword for a Rider and dragon! Saphira says in a delighted tone. It breathes fire as easily as I do.

"May I?" Rhunön asks, extending a hand toward Bella. My mate hands her it. "Brisingr!" the elf woman cries. A shiver seems to run up the blade, but otherwise remains inanimate. Rhunön scratches her cheek as she passes the sword back to Bella. "I have two possible explanations. One is that because you were part of the forging process you have imbued your sword with part of your personality. The other is that you have found the true name of your sword. More than likely, both explanations apply here. Interesting."

"Brisingr!" Bella says once again.

After she puts out the flames again, she sheathes her sword and hands it again to Rhunön. The smith murmurs an inaudible, even to our ears, spell as her hand hovers over the blue scabbard. The symbol for Brisingr appears on the sheath, and she takes out the blade to do the same to it. When she's done, Rhunön gives it back to Bella who puts it into the hanging black frog on the double-wrap belt of Beloth the Wise. Rhunön then beckons me forward as Bella steps back beside my brothers. Rhunön grandly uncovers my sword as well.

It is as beautiful as Brisingr and just as glorious. The scabbard is a glossy dark violet that matches the scales on Lunam's back. The color shifts shades as the light changes on it. A piece of purpled brightsteel carved in the shape of a leaf caps the end of the scabbard while a collar the same color of stylized vines rings the mouth. The slightly curved crossguard is made of purpled brightsteel, and so are the four thin ribs that keep the large amethyst, in place, that forms the pommel. The hand-and-a-half hilt is made of hard black wood like Bella's. I've never used a sword, but now I'll never use a different one. Delight and awe fill me as I gaze at it.

"May I?" I ask, looking to Rhunön.

"You may. I give it to thee, Seer." Rhunön says, softly.

The wood of the hilt and the metal of the scabbard and tang are cool under my fingers as I pick up my sword. I take in the wonderful details on the scabbard, guard, and pommel before unsheathing my sword. The violet of the blade is that of the scales in the hollow of Lunam's throat, and it's beautifully iridescent. The shades change as I experimentally move the blade around and show the many shades that Lunam herself shows. Through the color on the blade I can still see the wave-like patterns and the pale bands within the brightsteel. The shallow bloodgroove moves down the middle of the blade on each side, perfectly straight.

I use both hands to swing the sword, after setting down my scabbard, in an overhead slash. It feels fast and effortless, like an extension of my arm. My sword almost appears to have its own life in my hand. Like Bella did I strike one of the bundles of rods. My blade lets out one pure note as the top half of the iron rods fall to the ground.

"Are you well pleased, Dragon Rider?" Rhunön asks me.

"I very much am, Rhunön-elda. Thank you. I will make sure to kill Aro with this magnificent sword." I tell her.

The elf woman nods.

I lift my sword and declare, "Sword, I name thee Fyrn!"

A current of iciness seems to pass through my sword and it glows, giving off a freezing white mist as it does. I feel slight drop in energy. I put my sword back in its scabbard, after ending the small unconscious spell, so Rhunön can mark them. When she does, I put it under the simple black leather belt I'm wearing.

Bella's POV

As Rhunön is marking Alice's blade and scabbard, Vanir contacts me mentally.

Arabella-elda, the parents do not have weapons for they say they will work in the medical tent. He tells me.

Tell them that I believe it wise if they gain one anyway because anything can happen on the road and with the Varden. Get them both shortswords, please. And shields if they want. I say.

Yes, Shadeslayer.

I return to my surroundings to see Edward naming his bronze sword Kveykva, or Lightning. Little arcs of black lightning dance over the curved, single-edged bronze blade, in line with the lightning patterns on the metal, before he stops it and hands it to Rhunön. His sword has a bronzed metal leaf end cap and a collar like mine and Alice's on his scabbard. A large reddish-brown topaz is the pommel, and it has no bloodgroove. The curved crossguard is also bronzed.

"Your parents have taken to my craft very skillfully and thoroughly." Rhunön comments as she reveals Jasper's sword. The amazing sword rests inside its dark forest green scabbard, which has a green starmetal leaf and vine collar. Then Jasper pulls out the straight, iridescent green blade that is just a shade or two lighter than the sheath and also sports a bloodgroove. The straight crossguard is greened brightsteel with a black wood hilt and a large emerald surrounded by five greened brightsteel bands. The patterns on his sword look like the sharp teeth of a saw.

"Sword, I name thee Stenrblödh!" And with his exclamation teeth like a saw spring from the bloodgroove on his blade.

"You four are very interesting Riders indeed!" Rhunön states when Jasper gives her his sword.

Once his sword is marked, we each bow at the waist to the elf smith and thank her. The other three have to carry their swords while we mount our dragons, so I quickly detour to the armory for them to get frogs and double-wrap belts. After that we make for the training field.

Alice's POV

Bella and Saphira direct us to the training field after we each get a frog and belt. The empty clearing is the size of two and a half football fields and ringed by trees. At the far end are several targets lined up at varying distances from a line of small tables. The rest of the field is devoted to small patches of flattened grass people have obviously often fought on. It's empty except for my family and the young elf Vanir. Emmett holds his hammer and excitedly tosses it back and forth between his hands. Rosalie, Esme, and Carlisle all have a hand on the pommels of their new swords as they all stand beside a large ring of stamped grass, conversing quietly.

Our dragons land ten feet from them, and we all immediately jump to the ground. Emmett rushes forward to pick me up and greets me with a "Hey, little sis!" before saying hi to our brothers with the rest of the family.

Bella greets everyone with two fingers to her lips before addressing Emmett first, "Emmett, you can practice with your hammer over in the largest spot. It has sackcloth armored dummies in the ground. Say the word 'reisa', and they will pop up when you near them."

My bear of a brother nods with a grin before hurrying to the end of the field opposite the archer targets. We hear him call out the word and then the sound of metal crunching and denting.

"Vanir-vodhr, if you please." Bella says going into the ring of flattened grass. "Do any of you have any experience in swordplay?"

Carlisle speaks up, "My son, Jasper, and I do but only a little."

Bella nods. "Vanir and I will spar first so you can learn a bit visually, and then you will be paired up. Once you discover what style fits you best, you will fight the person with the countering style."

We all nod, and she unsheathes Brisingr.

"Guard the blade." Bella says, still in the ancient language, and a small blue spark jumps between her thumb and forefinger.

As it flickers back and forth, she runs her fingers down her whole sword then twirls it and does the same to the other side. Once her fingers leave the metal, the spark vanishes. Vanir has apparently already guarded his sword because he does nothing but start to circle when Bella does. Suddenly, Vanir launches at Bella, swinging his narrow sword toward her ribs. He is slower than my family and obviously slower than Bella because she blocks easily with the flat of Brisingr. She pushes him back and engages him in a complex but kind of easy to follow series of slashing and thrusting moves.

Their fight lasts for half an hour. Vanir manages to just barely parry, avoid, and return some of her strokes. After such a return where the black-haired elf tries to slash her across the chest, Bella bends like the grass in the wind from their blades and avoids the blow. As she comes back up, though, Vanir puts her on defense as he keeps thrusting at her. With a particular thrust, he oversteps and exposes himself to a hard whack to the elbow of his sword arm, causing him to immediately drop his blade. Bella brings her own to his throat and rest the tip on his collar bone.

"Dead," she grins.

Vanir shrugs with his own grin, "It's better than last time when you broke my arm."

Bella laughs before turning to us. "Now, Jasper will spar with Alice; Esme with Edward; and Rosalie with Carlisle. Vanir and I will move around, watching and correcting. Once we see developing styles, we will then pair you up accordingly."

After she finishes each pairing moves to their own patch and blocks their blades while she and Vanir unblock theirs and sheathe them. I make the first move with Jazz by slashing toward his torso full speed. He blocks and tries to counter attack, but the split second visions I get during fights extends to swordfights. I twirl away gracefully from his thrust and come to rest at his left side just in time to catch his side swipe with my blade. This goes on for thirty minutes before my instinct completely takes over, and I pay less and less attention to my visions. Finally, I stop altogether, and Jazz finds an opening as I thrust toward his shoulder too far. He ducks away from my blow and brings his sword tip up to my neck. I drop my arm in defeat and begin to calm my breathing from its slightly accelerated state.

"What happened, Alice Svit-kona?"

A shiver runs down my already heated body when the "smoker's rasp" that is Bella's sexy voice rushes over me. I ignore my reaction to it, with Jazz's help, and reply, "I stopped paying attention to my visions, Bella-vodhr. However, Jasper or any of my family could beat me because they know how to supercede my visions."

"Well, then you must condition yourself to fight without them, but other than that, you are as good a fighter and quick a learner as the rest of your family. You will fight with Edward from now on." Bella responds. "Jasper, you shall spar with Carlisle, and Rosalie, you with Esme. We will come down here at the same time and in the morning as long as we're here and fight for an hour. For now we are done. Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie, and Emmett, the queen waits for you so you can learn to guard your minds and learn to use gramarye."

Carlisle pipes up, "Alright; Jasper and Edward, when we've done our hour with Islanzadí, I need you to come to mine and Esme's apartment. Alice, you'll just get the vision, but the boys can fill you in."

Ed, Jazz, and I nod as Emmett jogs back over, goofy grin in place, and Bella dismisses Vanir. My family walks with us Riders and dragons as far as the field edge before veering off a different direction.

"So, I still have not been told of this Aro vampire." Bella states, quietly.

Edward answers her unvoiced question, "Aro, former ruler of the Volturi and essentially the vampire race, is an evil red-eyed vampire who is power-hungry. In our world he carelessly killed humans and other vampires, plus creatures he deemed unworthy. He collected those of our kind who have powers like mine, Jasper's, and Alice's for his guard. He often acquired them by binding them to him unnaturally. He used to be able to see your every thought, memory, and experience by touching you, but he can't now. Once you read that book, you'll know why."

Bella nods as we enter the Rider's Glade. We go to our respective trees with parting greetings. Upstairs, however, my brothers concisely ask me, "When?"

"After she finishes the book, eats dinner, and bathes, I'll go to her." I answer picking up the poem that Bella wrote and Oromis gave us to appreciate.

"What does Carlisle want us for anyway?" Ed asks a while later as he and Jazz play chess on the bed.

"To tell you how to use our nature magic." I reply.

"And you already know how?" they ask.

"Yes. I'll get in a practical experiment tomorrow. Ya know, Benjamin sort of has it easier and harder having all four elements naturally."

The guys nod before I go back to Bella's poem. Fifteen minutes later, I'm reading from an elf poetry book when I get a brief vision of Bella getting out of her bath in 10 more minutes. I finish up her poem before telling my brothers and Lunam that I'm leaving.

We shall go invite Saphira on a hunt. Lunam says.

The three of dragons launch themselves out of the tree as I go to the door to the main atrium. As I get to the bottom of the tree, I see now four dragons fly off east. I move briskly, for a human, to and up Bella's tree. After going through the trapdoor in the floor, I'm inside a main room just like Jazz and Ed's, except for the small statue in the center, which is of two hands twined together. How fitting, I think to myself. I move to the middle door of the three, which I know is her bedroom, and knock. I only wait for a few seconds before Bella opens the door barefoot with her tunic open to show her leather bra. I only gape for a handful of seconds, but I keep my eyes from hers.

"Yes, Alice?" she questions when I say nothing.

"Hello, Arabella. I'm sure you've heard that I am a future seer, yes?" I ask, and when she nods I continue, "Well, there is a matter I need to settle with you."

"Of course; what is it, Alice?" Bella queries, stepping aside so I can go in.

"It is about your mate…" I state softly, my back to her.

"You know who they are?" there is excitement in her voice.

I nod almost imperceptibly.

"Well, who is it?" when I don't answer, she asks, "Won't you look at me, Alice? Please, tell me who my mate is." She begs.

Instead of doing that, I turn and look her straight in her beautiful sapphire eyes, feeling that click inside that ignites a glorious fire inside of me. I see many things well up in or flicker through her intense gaze: realization, surprise, love, relief, lust, passion, and heated desire are the core emotions. I know five of those seven are reflected in my honey eyes.

"It's you…!" This time Bella's voice is husky and raspier than usual.

Arousal hammers through me at her sexy voice and promise-filled gaze. I can feel my panties become flooded as Bella's lust-darkened blue eyes rake over my body. Her nostrils flare, and her eyes snap back to mine with extreme sexual heat in them. Bella's body responds in kind, causing a tent to appear quickly in her breeches and precum to leak from her cock. The smell of the undertone of woodsmoke with her more blatant mangos and brown sugar scent and the sight of her getting instantly hard for me makes my already dark eyes go onyx black with desire. A rumble starts in my chest as we both move closer and closer to each other, and without hesitation Bella's long, powerful arms are around my waist, pulling me hard against her, as mine wind about her neck.

My body trying to fuse with hers, we kiss. And, Goddess! When we do, the heat in my body seems to mimic that of the Quileute Pack or even hotter. Her tongue demands entrance to my mouth, and I don't resist. She explores me, then dances with my tongue. She tastes like mangos, juicy and slightly tangy. We kiss for a long time, and normally I'd be "good way" freaking, but my mind is all Bella's hot kisses and the scorching trail her fingers leave behind as she caresses the small of my back. The kisses slow down as she breaks minutely away for a few seconds in between.

"Alice, you are so beautiful. A perfect mate." Bella says as she feverishly kisses me.

"I could say the same of you, my love." I reply, tugging of her tunic.

Bella scoops me into her arms then and carries me to the big, white-sheeted bed where she takes off my clothes. She leans in to kiss me again, and it's more passionate and primal than before. I remove her pants and underwear, revealing her 9½ inch long, two inch girth hardness, before we scoot back to the middle of the bed. She gently pushes me onto my back and holds herself over me with her forearms as she kisses me into a lustful frenzy.

"Alice, my love, relax while I pleasure you." She husks while she nips and sucks at my neck.

I can feel her sharp teeth digging into my pulse point, and it shoots another firework of desire through me. Bella steadily moves down my body and soon is nibbling from my right collar bone to my right breast. Gasps of pleasure expel from my mouth more frequently as her hot, wet mouth closes around my nipple, and I arch my back to get more to her. Her tongue flicks my nipple rapidly again and again before she switches to the other one. Her calloused but soft hands roam over my hips as she presses warm, open-mouthed kisses down my abs. shivers play on my spine when she nears the junction of my legs. Her tongue slides from my left hipbone to my clit, and I jerk underneath her, pushing my hips toward her. She doesn't continue her earlier teasing and lets her tongue wander through my slick folds. A mewl escapes my throat, and she echoes with a moan, sending vibrations through my core. Her tortuously pleasurable ministrations keep going as a coil tightens my stomach muscles and a desperate race starts in my body. Bella's warm, strong tongue licks around the opening to my passage, and I shudder powerfully, feeling my first orgasm coming on soon. without warning that amazing tongue thrusts inside me as deep as possible.

"Bella!" I cry out, loudly, threading my fingers into her soft hair.

Her tongue continues in and out of me at a fast pace, licking and massaging my inner walls in a toe-curling way. Her top front teeth scrape lightly over my clit, and the pressure within me explodes. My spacious vampire mind whites out, and I see blue stars in my vision. I moan out Bella's name again, so loud it's just barely a scream. Bella kisses her way back up my body until she reaches my lips which she kisses deeply once there. The passion I feel pouring out from her along with her long fingers gently rubbing my clit help me ride through my orgasm.

When I catch my breath, I ask her, "In your dimension, are the different ways of mating well known?"

"I'm not sure what you mean, Alice," Bella replies, blushing. "When a young man or sun-crotch come of age to begin courting, their father or father figure tells them how to be with a woman. We only know the two ways we do. The first time, what I just did, orally pleasuring you, is done first so that our woman can feel pleasure before the pain of first penetration."

"Oh." I say and then get a wicked smile on my face. "I'd be happy to teach you all that I know from my world."

She smiles for a moment then frowns and growls, "You have been with others?"

I smirk. "Possessive already, huh? No, I have not, my love, but I know how to read and talk to people. In my world mating was discussed to improve how pleasurable it feels when it happens."

Her growling stops, and she looks sheepish. "I am sorry."

"It's fine; jealous and possessive Bella is extremely attractive."

"I can tell." She smirks, her forgotten left fingers move from my inner thigh back to my newly soaked folds. "Are you ready for me? I do not wish to hurt you, Alice."

I look up to her sweetly. "I may be a virgin, but only extreme pain hurts me."

She breathes out a sigh of relief, and she moves to lean over me on both her forearms. Her amazing sapphire eyes stare deeply into my black ones with desire and love. She doesn't say another word, just leans down and kisses me with blazing lust-heat and passionate love. My fingers wind themselves into her silky hair again. With only a possessive yet loving growl for warning, Bella buries her long, velvety rod inside of me. My head snaps back in shocked pleasure, and my loudest moan yet rips from my throat in the form of Bella's name. As I thought, her taking my virginity doesn't hurt at all, but I feel it, when she breaks my hymen, as an odd tear inside.

Bella looks down at me to make sure I'm okay. "Are you alright, my love?"

I gaze intently into her clear but dark eyes and reply, "Arabella Bromsson, take me. I am yours now and as long as live. I love you, Arabella."

"And I you, Alice Esmesdaughter. I am yours, my lovely mate." Bella replies, leaning back down to capture my lips.

Once her lips and tongue have successfully distracted mine, she pulls her hips back slowly. The dragging feeling of her member sliding out of me creates a frustrating anticipation like when you need to shiver but you can't. But in a good way. My mind stops all thought process once again when Bella pushes back into me deeply. Bella continues this rhythm for a while as little mewls of pleasure come from me and light growls come from her. As we're going, I can feel also our minds becoming connected by glowing sapphire and amethyst line of ethereal magic. Her slow, deep strokes have me tightening my muscles and my toes curling near the backs of her thighs. She hits my g-spot every other push in, which sends shivers into my body.

The pace is too slow for my inner beast, however, and by how tightly controlled Bella's movements are, I can tell that she's holding back her animal too. I open my eyes to look at her again as my fingers grab her back right under her shoulder blades.

"Bella…" I pant out on a low moan. "Please don't hold back from me; I can handle it. Go harder and faster, please!"

Bella holds my eyes as she complies, and she kisses me again. She immediately looses herself on me, and that releases my animal. As she starts to pound into me with her more than substantial strength, my eyes roll to the back of my head, and my nails claw into her back. This time she hits my g-spot on each push in now. After a bit of this, my body starts to convulse some, and my walls close harder around Bella. Bella's growls get louder, and moans fill the space between them. I can tell she's close as she frantically speeds up near impossibly. A few more thrusts later, my walls lock her in place, and we both scream out each other's names as our orgasms shoot through and wash over our minds and bodies. Without trying to stop myself, I sink my fangs into Bella's left shoulder, taking a small pull of her blood and energy. Once I let go, the wound heals into a violet eye tattoo. My mate and I sigh in unison before she rolls us both over, pulling her softening member from me as I lay on her chest. The slightly nippy air from the height we're at cools my heated skin as Bella pulls the light sheet to cover our lower bodies. We both hear in our minds as Lunam and Saphira say they're returning soon. Bella wraps me in her strong, warm arms with my head on her left shoulder.

"Alice, tell me about yourself, please." She softly whispers as we gaze at the stars.

I reply just as quietly a moment later, "Well, my full name is Mary Alice Brandon. In my world, I was born October 31st. I had a twin sister named Cynthia. My father was Robert Brandon III, the governor of Mississippi, where I was born, and my mother was Veronica Merlot, the ambassador of France, another country. We all greatly loved each other and were perfect until mine and Cynthia's 19th year. I began having visions of the future. My parents still loved me, of course, and tried to help me. Despite their love and my twin's, I felt like a freak of nature and became seriously depressed. Once I stopped eating, everyone thought it best to put me in an asylum. They didn't know that asylums were terrible places back then. A little after my 20th birthday, a kind doctor turned me into a vampire to protect me from one that wanted my blood.

"After the change I barely remember my life and who I was. My visions continued, only more vivid. With them I controlled my newborn year and the 50 years after that. I found my brother, Jasper, in my second vampire year, and together we found the others. We lived our lives alongside unsuspecting humans, moving when necessary and just continuing. At least it felt like we just continued to me. I was the only single person in our family the moment we stepped into the door of our first Cullen home. My loneliness and minor depression eased a bit when I found out that I have a great niece. She moved to the town we were living in at the time. Her name is Renesmee Mary Alice Brandon, and she looks just like all Brandon girls look like. She'll turn 19 soon, and then she will marry the love of her life. I will miss her a lot." I finish, tearing up a bit.

"I'm sorry, my love. It must have been hard to leave her." Bella offers, sincerely.

"Yes, it was, but I could not bring her with me." I state, wanting to change the subject.

Bella picks up on this immediately and asks, "So, what is my love like?" giving me a loving smile.

I return the smile equally before answering, "I'm a hyperactively bubbly pixie of a vampire who loves clothes and buying things. I also love surprising people, solving puzzles, reading, animals, making things, and helping people. I also love my family, including you and our dragons now."

"You're a woman after my own heart, Alice. The only thing I would leave out is clothes, though I'm fond of this elf made wear, and buying. All my clothes find some way to get torn asunder, and I've never had much leisure money. Other than that we are one and the same." Bella answers.

I decide to be affronted later about her lack of interest for clothes and shopping, and ask, "Angela told us how this all got started, but I'd like to hear your uncut version. Do you mind telling me?"

"How about I show you instead?" Bella says.

Before I can ask what she means, an image installs itself into my mind and I realize Bella knows about and is using our mind link. The scene I see is what, at first, appears to be a young, slim, dark-haired boy, kneeling behind a thin bush while watching a white-tailed buck grazing alone. I realize that the boy was actually Bella, with short hair, when I look into those unmistakable sapphire eyes. The young male deer is holding his back left leg from the ground. There's dried blood around the large bite mark there.

Just as Bella pulls back the string of her bow to fire at the unsuspecting buck, there is a loud bang and a bright flash of light between them. When she regains her eyesight, the deer is gone and there is Saphira's egg in its place. The grass around it is dark and flattened. Bella curiously goes and picks it up. After she admires it for a while, the memory cuts off, and I'm staring at present –Bella.

"When I first found her, I was filled with confusion and intrigue, so I brought her back to my farm with which was both a mistake and a blessing." Bella tells me.

Our dragons come back then and snuggle together in their dais. The rest of the night passes in this manner, with us showing each other memories of our past and telling a bit. We don't fall asleep until around two a.m.

A/N: Okay, whew! It's almost 5 a.m. so I hope you all liked it. Sorry about the holdup though; school's kickin' my but! Anyway, I'd like to warn you that chap. 9 is only 9 written pages so less than 3000 words I think. If anyone has questions, feel free to pm me. Au revoir!


	10. Learning

Chapter Nine: Learning

A/N: Hey there, readers! Beware: this chapter is really more of a filler, and I'm almost done with ten. On other notes, I am very happy to realize that I'm gathering more readers and that some of them are reviewing, so thanks everyone!

Hell7Born7Tara7: Thank you for being the first to review again. Also, I'm glad that you liked how they finally got together. Thanks for the swords comment, however, Alice's sword is actually just named "War". I was gonna name it water but I decided against it in the end.

lynettecullen: I see that you have reprised second place for reviewing again. I'm glad that I could make your date, and thank you for reviewing.

ShadowCub: You know, I'm beginning to think that you and the others have decided to review in order; it's pretty funny. The thing with the weapons was supposed to happen because Alice and Bella's realization is supposed to be an instantaneous thing. At the end, it was getting too long for me to have too much dialogue, but there will definitely be more talking between our two favourite lovers. Thanks for the review!

WolfDragonGod: Thanks for the review!

EAnIL: Thank you for the review; I always appreciate constructive criticism. However, the buildup isn't actually supposed to be on their relationship. The whole realization is sudden, so they couldn't really interact before. The story also isn't just about Alice and Bella's relationship, so there will be buildup of that and also the war going on around them. I'm glad that their mating didn't feel awkward or anything, since I wanted it to seem natural.

caradens: Thanks, caradens.

Paz23: Thanks for the review! I'm glad that you're happy with the story so far! Greeting!

Taiki:Thanks for your support, dude!

Now, I hope everyone enjoys, and I hope I get more reviewers next time.

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight and/or the Inheritance Cycle. Also, there is no ownage from me on anything that sounds trademark. Now without further ado, read on my eager readers.

##############$%%!%$%!$!^Bellice^!$!%$%!%%$###################

Alice's POV

The next morning I open my eyes to find Bella's left breast directly in front of my eyes and Jasper and Edward standing near the door with happy grins and teary eyes. Lunam's is awake too and looking at my brothers curiously.

Get the hell out, Edward! I yell in my mind.

They giggle, hysterically, but do as I say. Right after, Bella and Saphira wake up.

Bella smiles down at me lovingly, while our dragons nuzzle, and she whispers, "Good morning, my love. Did you sleep well?"

"And to you, my Bella. I did; in fact I dreamt of you the whole time. What of you?" I whisper back.

Bella blushes but replies, "I dreamt of you too."

"Did you? What was I doing, my love?" I grin, wickedly, already having an idea.

"Ahhh… I shall tell you later. We must go." She answers as a buzzing fills the room. She leans over to her side of the bed to pick up the small walnut-shaped device that the buzzing emits from. She winds the dial on it and sets it back in its place before getting up, unconcerned with her nudity. I'm not complaining either. Bella is a goddess with the rising sunlight shining on her unclothed body. Her semi tan skin glows healthily as her eyes and lips shimmer beautifully. As she heads for the bathroom, I get a nice view of her shapely bottom and the claw marks I left on her back. She turns back around, gracing me with a look of her half hard length, and raises an eyebrow.

"Are you coming to bathe, my love?" she asks, sort of coyly.

"Yes, in a moment. I'm going to get our clothes and food." I tell her with the tiniest gulp.

She nods and gives me that coy smile again before going into our washroom. I do as I said I would by going into the main atrium. Beside the statue, on one side, is a cart with breakfast and clothes for two. On the other side are my saddle and saddlebags, and my travel pack. I pull the cart and my stuff inside our room while Lunam lets me know that she and Saphira are going hunting. As soon as I finish that, I hurry my naked self to the bath. Inside, Bella is washing herself with a small towel and humming. I join her, grabbing a towel on my way, and we clean up. Despite the closeness and nudity between us, we finish bathing in a timely fashion, using the toilet and cleaning our teeth afterwards. When we return to the room, we pull on tunics the color of the ones from yesterday and put our dirty clothes on the bottom rack of the cart. We eat some seed cakes and omelets before buckling on our swords. Saphira and Lunam fly in, and Bella and I pack the things Oromis gave us, except for that book about vamps since Ed and Jazz have it.

Once we're in the air, Jasper, Nahele, Edward, and Alaula join us. We make small talk as we head for the sparring field.

"So, Ed, explain our powers." I interrupt him as he starts to stray toward what Bella and I did last night while we talk on our way.

"It's just like that show Avatar. We discovered last night that we can only use one magic at a time though; there's no back and forth. It's also on a lesser power scale than that show. We also have to say our intent in Latin and accompany that with movements." He replies with a smirk. "We'll practice after our time with Oromis, but it's actually more tiring than regular magic."

Before I can reply, we land in the field where the rest of our family is already practicing.

"Good morning!" I chirp brightly, dancing over to give the other members of my family hugs.

Rosalie and Emmett smirk at me while our parents smile happily and proudly at me.

"I take it things went well." Rose grins lasciviously.

"Did she go down on you, Ali? Does she even know what that means?" Emmett questions with a wondering smirk.

"Emmett!"

"Alice, what does that mean?"

Esme and Bella voice their statements at the same time. Rosalie and Esme glare at Emmett while the former slaps the back of his head. Bella is still looking at me, confused, and I'm blushing like crazy (nearly cursing that I can do so again).

"I'll explain some other time, honey. Let's practice." I mumble, quickly, guarding Fyrn. I strike at Edward suddenly, "En garde!"

And thus starts our second sword practice. For two hours we practice until we have all bested each other equally. Once our allotted time is up, us, dragons and Riders, go to Oromis and Glaedr for our lesson of the day. When we get there, at his request, Oromis inspects each of our swords.

"Rhunön has outdone herself," Oromis declares of mine and Bella's swords. "Few weapons, swords or otherwise, are the equal of this. You are fortunate to wield such impressive blades, Arabella and Alice."

He says much the same about my parents' work on Jazz and Ed's swords. When he gets to the glyph of Bella's, he is intrigued. When we explain what happened when we all named our swords, his eyebrows climbed high on his head. We tell him Rhunön's theories, and he accepts them. After he's done with his look at our swords, Oromis has Jasper, Edward, and I practice Liduen Kvaedhí which we are surprisingly sloppy with at first. The full extent of how much less perfect we are has set in, and we all revel in the random, almost human-like moments. While we write, Oromis teaches Bella more about summoning and sending items.

The Liduen Kvaedhí is a rather beautiful script that reminds me of ancient Greek drawn out with a calligraphy pen. There are not many symbols because they all stand for sounds rather than single letters. We spend an hour perfecting our skill on that before moving on to the small geography of Alagaësia. The whole of it is only half the size of the U. S., but I find I have no problem with that. I also express a desire to see what other lands lay beyond the sea and the belittling mountains that are so big the Beor Mountains seem like anthills (Bella's Words).

After two hours discussing the dangers and advantages of the Alagaësian land, we depart. Carlisle mentally contacts us and calls us to come practice our elemental powers. He invites Bella and Saphira along too. They accept, and we head for a clearing near a beautiful blue pond. My family goes to sit cross-legged before Carlisle.

"Alice, you are with Emmett." My father says. "We started experiments last night based off of the rules of regular gramarye. The limitations for this elemental gramarye are a bit more restricting but essentially the same as the other magic. For example: just like regular gramarye taxes the body, so too does elemental gramarye. However, using it costs more energy and greatly fatigues one specific attribute.

"Water tires your speed; fire your recovery time; air your durability; and earth saps your strength. There are two levels of depletion; stage one is the level where your natural attributes are those of a half dwarf if there is such a thing. In that stage you will feel much weaker in energy and mind function, but you will only get there by using half of your allotted energy with no immediate replenishing. Stage two is the level of a human. At that point we have used too much energy, and you will start feeling very disoriented. Our bodies will then feel the opposite of our element in a very painful manner. It would be like fighting a disease without a way to get out of it. If you don't get any blood and energy within half an hour of the first symptom, you will die. If any more energy is used than I just relatively explained, death is immediate with no intermezzo between.

"Another thing to consider is that no matter your prowess with regular gramarye, the standard is not the same. Once you find your limit, I warn everyone not to go to their limit more than once a week. Our bodies may be near indestructible to others, but we are more than capable of destroying ourselves."

Once Carlisle finishes his explanation, our family separates. Emmett joins me, Esme goes with Edward, Jasper with our patriarch, along with Rose who doesn't have anyone to pair her fire with. Then, as soon as Jazz, Ed, and I use our elements, our face and body markings tingle and change to the color of our dragons. As confused as we all are, Carlisle just puts it down to the spontaneous and mostly uncontrollable magic of our dragons clashing with our nature magic. When Bella and I get back to our tree house later, I kiss her lightly on the lips before going out on the terrace to meditate. As I sit and retreat into myself while at the same time expanding my senses, visions come back to back of just about everything. I spend an hour sorting through the visions, amazed to know that some are from the past and others are possibilities from snap decisions. My power has grown so much! After that I notice that Bella has finished her bath and is now oiling Saphira's scales. I affectionately rub Lunam's nose as I pass her on the way to wash up. I finish in there, quickly, and go back into the bedroom to find Bella bringing dinner in. on the cart are garlic bread slices and the Alagaësian form of macaroni and cheese. Bella and I eat, quietly and comfortably. When we're done eating, I'm about to read Kelaya's book, but Bella distracts me into an hour of lovemaking. Afterwards, I pick up the slightly worn leather book and begin to read, lying naked against my mate's chest.

Over the course of three hours, I avidly read about the short life Kelaya had with Zeus before they left Alagaësia. She was 94 when she met Zeus. Kelaya had been a silver-haired, amber-eyed writer, who loved life and every beautiful thing around her. Zeus was the nomad who found her in her world. Blue-eyed, yellow-haired, and silver-tattooed, he took her fancy. Once they looked into each other's eyes, they became inseparable. After their wedding they enjoyed their lives together for a decade. During that time, Kelaya had written this book. Her words explain, as Zeus told her, what it meant to be a vampire. He was the first, and he and his siblings woke in their boat on the course for here with no memory of how they'd gotten there or where or even how to get home. Zeus knew, also, that he had a hate for his brother Aro, but he loved his sister Dahlia. He and Aro didn't have a chance to really fight on the boat before they made land. Once on stable ground, though, they dueled with swords of diamond at their waists; Dahlia had one too. Neither of them won, but both were heavily wounded when Dahlia finally managed to stop them with her fire. As soon as he was healed enough, Aro took off into the new wilderness around him, and Dahlia apparently did too. Zeus healed as he made his way to finding life.

Zeus' eyes were blue because he only drank energy from any creature, and his tattoos were silver because he was the first and he could use healing magic. Dahlia's eyes were golden showing her preference for both blood and energy but not killing, unlike Aro. Being the first of their kind, they were very powerful, quick, and could last months between feedings as long as they ate food. They could also use each element as they wished (excluding Aro). They were also the first speakers Latin. By the time Zeus' decade with Kelaya was turning into more, he'd all but forgotten his curséd brother and beloved sister whom he'd never thought he'd see again. However, Dahlia showed up out of the blue one day and convinced Zeus that they all needed to leave. She had captured and sedated Aro so they could leave this land untouched by his horrors. Kelaya was pregnant when she left with them, and at the end of her book, Verin the Bard wrote a note about her disappearance. After I finish the book, I have Edward get it before settling back into bed. Bella and I speak quietly before falling soundly asleep.

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Bella's POV

I wake up the next morning to the buzzing of my time piece and find Alice smiling softly down at me. I return her smile as I lean up slightly to kiss her good morning.

"Mmm…I will so get used to waking up like this, in our bed with you." Alice says, happily.

"I agree whole-heartedly, my love." I warmly and truthfully state.

Alice gives a blissful sigh, and I marvel at the fact that I can make this glorious creature so happy if at all. I wrap my arms firmly around her waist, pulling her tightly to me, as I nuzzle her neck gently. We greet Saphira and Lunam, quietly, as they wake too. They leave to get breakfast soon.

I sigh, backing away just a bit to look into her eyes. "Are you ready for your last day in Ellesméra, Alice?"

"Yes; I'm also ready to help bring back peace to this land. Now, let's get ready." She hums, serenely, getting up.

We get ready as we did the day before, with light green robes to clothe ourselves in and shredded potatoes with panbread and syrup for breakfast. Once we are done, Saphira and Lunam return to get their saddles on and us. I make sure to grab the books and scrolls I have that belong to Oromis before we leave. Alice's brothers meet us in the air as usual, and we all fly to Oromis'.

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Oromis and I spend the rest of the morning teaching Alice, Jasper, and Edward the intricacies of gramarye with several of the starter spells I began with. At the same time, Glaedr and Saphira instruct Lunam, Alaula, and Nahele in the ways of the dragon. Near the end of our session, Oromis has each of them go separate directions for two hours to meditate. After they finish and come back, the dragons land minutes later. Once done quizzing each Rider and dragon, Oromis requests to duel each of them. They all fight with grace, especially my Alice. When they finish, (all coming to a draw) Oromis and Glaedr bid us goodbye for the day.

"Arabella, I know that you leave tomorrow. Before you do, return here with Saphira, the Cullens, and their dragons one last time." He tells us, greetings aside.

"Yes, Master." I reply.

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The clang of metal on metal sounds in my ear as Alice and Edward fiercely trade blows with Rosalie and Carlisle. Vanir and I had decided to move on to multiple opponent battle since we would be experiencing a lot of that for the next few months, most likely. Finally, I call them all to a halt.

"Okay, we're done with practice. It is our last night in this beautiful elven city. I would like to show you all around in the few hours before we must rest. Granted, the city is not as full of life as when I was first here, but I believe you will still enjoy it." I say, fondly.

The younger Cullens all turn to their father, but Emmett speaks first, "Dad, can we skip the elemental stuff, please?"

Carlisle smiles at his son's childish behavior and says, "Of course, we can; she's kindly invited us all. Let us see Ellesméra."

He gestures for me to lead them while the dragons fly off to find a meal. I take them all through Tialdarí Hall, the museum, and the library. I also show the other Riders the great Menoa Tree. We finish the tour at the stables built for the elven horses to use at their leisure, and we're lucky to see a few inside.

As we walk Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie, and Emmett back to their apartments, I tell them, "Tonight, you all must pack your belongings. The elves have washed each outfit you have worn since being here, and the ones you wear now will be washed. You will take them with you as well as whatever night clothes they've given you. Tomorrow, I shall gather everyone at nine to go to Oromis' hut. Goodnight."

The four bid us goodnight before disappearing into their rooms. I heave a tired sigh; it is 11 at night. We mount our dragons and hasten to our trees. Alice and I hurry our baths and teeth cleaning before quickly going to bed while Lunam and Saphira do the same.

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A/N: Hope you enjoyed!


	11. Leave-taking

Chapter Ten: Leave-Taking

A/N: Oh my god… that's all I have to say after the rest of my junior year… After I posted my leaving A/N, I couldn't stop reading from here, but I honestly never had the chance to do that often. As the year finished passing, I came into my own on being a bit more independent of my parents. However, the joy I got from that was utterly ruined near the middle of January this year. I was having the time of my life loving friends and family, trying to get to a great college or uni, but, of course, I'm cursed to see the bad points in life more often than the good. My "younger sister" died on January 18…Her name was Brytnie, and she was actually a year older than me and met me at the beginning of freshman year… Anyway, needless to say, I had such a hard time assimilating to an environment without her in it. Everything came to a head about early February, and I had a mental breakdown at school. This caused my school counselor and nurse to have me put in the Behavioral Health Center for a week. Since I, of course, can't go long without writing, brought two of my stories with me… The first time I didn't cooperate with them, they ripped my works to pieces right in front of me… I had the lot of them fired, met a lot of cool new friends, and decided not to sue, since, technically, none of those stories belong to me. I'm getting back on my stuff, though, so don't worry too much. I hope everyone who is reading enjoys!

Also, I'd like to give a shout out to PWong, gecko17, and Sonicthehedgewolf for cheering me on with the apps! Thank, peoples!

Disclaimer: See previous chapter.

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Bella's POV

I'm awakened by the sun and Alice stroking my skin softly.

She speaks quietly, in human, as I open my eyes, slowly, "It is 7 o'clock, my love. You'd better go see Sloan so that we can get our armor and leave."

"Of course, nuanen." I reply in kind.

We rise to bathe and eat before dressing in thick traveling robes the exact hues of our dragons. However, both our shirts and tunics are sleeveless and our breeches thin in recognition of the summer heat. I leave my mate and her dragon with her bothers and theirs while Saphira and I go to Sloan. Saphira flies us to the west until the number of buildings begins to diminish, and then she angles downward for a soft landing upon a narrow, moss-covered path. After asking for, and getting, directions from an elf who is sitting in the branches of a nearby tree, Saphira and I continue through the woods until we arrive at a small one-room house, grown out of the bole of a fir tree that stands at an acute angle, as if a constant wind presses against it.

To the left of the house is a soft bank of earth taller, by several feet, than me. A rivulet of water tumbles over the edge of the bank and pours itself into a limpid poo before meandering off into the dim recesses of the forest. White orchids line the pool. A bulbous root protrudes out of the ground from among the slender flowers that grow along the nearer shore, and sitting cross-legged upon the root is Sloan. I hold my breath, not wanting to alert the man to my presence. The butcher wears robes of brown and orange, after the fashion of the elves. A thin black strip of cloth is tied around his head, concealing the gaping holes where his eyes had been. In his lap he holds a length of seasoned wood, which he is whittling with a small, curved knife. His face is covered with far more lines than I remember, and upon his hands and arms are several new scars, livid against the surrounding skin.

Wait here, I say to Saphira and slip off her back.

As I approach him, Sloan pauses in his carving and cocks his head. "Go away," he rasps.

Not knowing how to respond, I stop where I am and remain silent.

The muscles in his jaw rippling, Sloan removes another few curls from the wood he holds, then taps the tip of his knife against the root and says, "Blast you. Can you not leave me alone with my misery for a few hours? I don't want to listen to any bard or minstrel of yours, and no matter how many times you ask me, I won't change my mind. Now go on. Away with you."

Pity and anger wells up inside me, and also a sense of displacement at seeing a man I had grown up around, and had so often feared and disliked, brought to such a state. "Are you comfortable?" I ask in the ancient language, adopting a light, lilting tone.

Sloan utters a growl of disgust. "You know I cannot understand your tongue, and I do not wish to learn it. The words ring in my ears longer than they ought to. If you will not speak in the language of my race, then do not speak to me at all."

Despite Sloan's entreaty, I do not repeat the question in our common language, nor do I depart.

With a curse Sloan resumes his whittling. After every other stroke, he runs his right thumb over the surface of the wood, checking the progress of whatever he is carving. Several minutes pass, and then, in a softer voice, Sloan says, "You were right; having something to do with my hands calms my thoughts. Sometimes… sometimes I can almost forget what I have lost, but the memories always return, and I feel as if I am choking on them… I am glad you sharpened the knife. A man's knives should always be sharp."

I watch him for a minute more, and then I turn away and walk back to where Saphira is waiting. As I pull myself into the saddle, I say, Sloan does not seem to have changed very much.

And Saphira replies, You cannot expect him to become someone else entirely in such a short amount of time.

No, but I had hoped he would learn something of wisdom here in Ellesméra and that maybe he would repent of his crimes.

If he does not wish to acknowledge his mistakes, Arabella, nothing can force him to. In any event, you have done all you can for him. Now he must find a way to reconcile himself with his lot. If he cannot, then let him seek the solace of the everlasting grave.

From a clearing close to Sloan's house, Saphira launches herself up and over the surrounding trees and heads northwest toward our tree house. I push the slightly tumultuous thoughts caused by Sloan from mind and focus on what this day will bring. The morning sun sits full upon the horizon, and the rays of light that stream out over the treetops creates long, dark shadows that, as one, point to the west like purple pennants. Hovering 60 yards from the opening to Jasper, Edward, and their dragons' tree, I call for them to join me and Saphira so we may be on our way. They take to the air moments later, with their saddle bags packed and themselves dressed to match their dragons.

How did it go, my love? Alice asks me, softly, through our connection.

I love how she can see the future but she'll still ask me about something. I answer, As well as I thought it would.

We quickly go to gather the rest of her family before hurrying to Rhunön's forge, exchanging greetings and small talk on the way. When we enter the large three-walled atrium, all is quiet and nothing out of place except for a cot-sized wooden chest. I look around for the old smith but find no sign of her.

"Rhunön-elda," I call.

Just then she shuffles gracefully down the stairs looking five years older than normal. Rhunön also looks quite tired underneath her satisfied eyes.

"Your armor and shields are done, Riders. I have outdone myself once again." Rhunön states, in her usual gravelly, straight forward tone, as she walks quickly to the large chest before us.

She hastily unlatches and lifts the top open. Reaching in Rhunön then pulls out a pile of sapphire blued metal that I identify as she hands me each piece individually. I admire each for an awed moment before putting away my greaves, cuisse, and bracers in Saphira's saddle bags; I put on my cuirass. The last piece, however, confuses me; it's a long, curved cup shaped like a banana with the shallow inside and rim padded with soft elvish material.

"That is to protect your family jewels, Shadeslayer, which I'm sure these other full males can tell you about." Rhunön chuckles while I blush.

Despite the slight embarrassment at her statement, I am very much satisfied with Rhunön's skill, and I tell her as much.

"I thank you and hope it serves well." Rhunön states in reply.

She then pulls out a two and a half foot diameter roundshield. The front is covered by a black cloth, which she explains.

"Oromis would like to show and explain what he had me emboss onto your shield, so you are not to look until he lets you." Rhunön tersely says, handing it to me.

I nod and unravel the leather strap to sling the shield across my back. The rim clangs against the back of my cuirass. I step aside so Alice can receive her armor next. Hers is nearly the same as mine, only smaller and violet. Rhunön presents her with a violet nasal T-Helm and a two foot diameter roundshield with her family's crest embossed on its front. The coat of arms is blue and silver with black and white ermine fur colors. There's an embattled line, and the cavalier shield is quartered style with two swords crossed behind it. The upper left quadrant houses the symbol of an anvil; the upper right is Acanthus leaves; the lower left is a Holly tree; and the lower right is a brown bear. Their supporters are bucks. The banner above the T-Face Helm proudly claims the name Cullen, and the banner below states "Compassion for the Deserving".

The crest is very noble and fits their mismatched family very well as they have honor, strength, cunning, appreciation for the arts, honesty, and love for family embedded deep in their hearts.

Edward gets his cuirass while Jasper is given the breastplate he requested. Edward prefers his Nasal T-Helm and spaulders, and Jasper likes his T-Face and spiked bracers. The only things the same with their armor are their greaves, gauntlets, and shields despite the color difference. Both men have their family's crest on their shields, which are three feet long and two feet wide with sword gaps in the sides of the middle. Alice says something about them being an Achilles shield (from Troy with Brad Pitt) and proceeds to explain to me who he was in her world.

"Now, I am proud to say that you are all properly outfitted." Rhunön says as we make ready to leave. "Your armor is enchanted so that you may find any piece should it fall missing, including the shield and helms. Shadeslayer, you must leave your dwarf armor in Oromis's home, for it will be too much for Saphira. Now, I bid you all safety in your coming endeavors. May the stars watch over you all."

With that we all quickly leave her to go to the Crags of Tel'nair eastward. Once we get to the hill where we must fly, Emmett rides behind Alice, Carlisle behind me, Esme behind Jasper, and Rosalie behind Edward. We all descend toward the clearing by Oromis's pinewood house, where Glaedr and Oromis stand waiting for us. I am startled to see that Glaedr is wearing a saddle nestled between two of the towering spikes on his back and that Oromis is garbed in heavy traveling robes of grey, over which he wears a corselet of golden scale armor, as well as bracers upon arms. A tall, diamond-shaped shield is slung across his back, an archaic helm rests in the crook of his left arm, and around his waist is belted his gold-colored sword, Naegling.

With a gust of wind from her wings, accompanied by those of the other dragons, Saphira alights upon the sward of grass and clover. Her fellow dragons land somewhat behind her, and she flicks out her tongue, tasting the air as Carlisle and I jump to the ground.

Are you going to fly with us to the Varden? She asks, the tip of her tail twitching with excitement.

"We shall fly with you as far as the edge of Du Welden Varden, but there our paths must part," says Oromis.

Disappointed, I ask, "Will you return to Ellesméra then?"

Oromis shakes his head. "No, Arabella. Then we shall continue onward to the city of Yazuac."

Saphira hisses with surprise, a sentiment I share.

"Why to Yazuac?" I ask, bewildered.

Because Islanzadí and her army have marched there from Ceunon, and they are about to lay siege to the city, says Glaedr. The strange, gleaming structures of his mind brush against my consciousness.

But do not you and Oromis wish to keep your existence hidden from the Empire? Saphira asks.

Oromis closes his eyes for a moment, his expression withdrawn and enigmatic. "The time for hiding has passed, Saphira. Glaedr and I have taught the eight of you everything we could in the brief while you all were able to study under us. It was a paltry education compared with what you would have received of old, but given how events press on us, we are fortunate to have been able to teach you as much as we did. Glaedr and I are satisfied that you know everything that might help you defeat Galbatorix.

"Therefore, since it seems unlikely that any of you will have a chance to return here for further instruction before the conclusion of this war, and since it seems even more unlikely that there shall ever be another dragon for us to instruct while Galbatorix still bestrides the warm earth, we have decided that we no longer have any reason to remain sequestered in Du Welden Varden. It is more important that we help Islanzadí and the Varden overthrow Galbatorix than we tarry here in idle comfort while we wait for another Rider and dragon to seek us out.

"When Galbatorix learns that we are still alive, it shall undermine his confidence, for he shall not know if other dragons and Riders have survived his attempt to exterminate them. Also, knowledge of our existence shall bolster the spirits of the dwarves and the Varden and counteract any adverse effects Murtagh and Thorn's appearance on the Burning Plains may have had upon the resolution of their warriors, though I'm sure our six new Riders and dragons will do that all by itself. And all this may well increase the number of new recruits Nasuada receives from the Empire."

I glance at Naegling and say, "Surely, though, Master, you do not intend to venture into battle yourselves."

"And why should we not?" inquires Oromis, tilting his head to one side.

Since I do not want to offend Oromis or Glaedr, I'm uncertain how to respond.

Thankfully, I don't have to as Edward replies, "Forgive us, Master, but I believe she means how can you fight when you cannot cast spells that require more than a small amount of energy? And what of the spasms you sometimes suffer? If one were to strike in the middle of battle, it could prove fatal."

Oromis replies, "As you all ought to know well by now, mere strength rarely decides the victor when two magicians duel. Even so, I have all the strength I need here, in the jewel of my sword." And he reaches across his body and places the palm of his right hand on the gold diamond that forms the pommel of Naegling. "For over a hundred years Glaedr and I have stored every iota of our excess strength in this diamond, and others have added their strength to the pool as well; twice a week, several elves from Ellesméra visit me here and transfer as much of their life force into the gem as they can without killing themselves. The amount of energy contained within this stone is formidable, Arabella; with it I could shift an entire mountain. It is a small matter, then, to defend myself from swords and spears and arrows, or even a boulder cast by a siege engine. As for my seizures, I have attached certain wards to the stone in Naegling that will protect me from harm if I become incapacitated upon the battlefield. So you see, Arabella, Glaedr and I are far from helpless."

Chastened, I dip my head and murmur, "Yes, Master."

Oromis's expression softens somewhat. "I appreciate your concern, Arabella, all of you, and you are all right to be concerned, for war is a perilous endeavor and even the most accomplished warrior may find death waiting for him amid the heated frenzy of battle. However, our cause is a worthy one. If Glaedr and I go to our deaths, then we go willingly, for by our sacrifice, we may help to free Alagaësia from the shadow of Galbatorix's tyranny."

"But if you die," I say, feeling very small, "and yet we still succeed in killing Galbatorix, who will train new dragons and Riders, who will lead them?"

Oromis surprises me by reaching out and clasping me by the shoulder. "If that should come to pass," says the elf, his face grave, "then it shall be your responsibility, Arabella, and yours, Saphira, along with your new comrades, to instruct our new dragons and Riders in the ways of our order, and you two will lead. Ah, do not look so apprehensive, Arabella. You will not be alone in this task. And no doubt, Islanzadí and Nasuada would ensure that the wisest scholars of both our races would be there to help you all."

A strange sense of unease troubles me. I have often longed to be treated as more of an adult and less like a helpless girl, but nevertheless, I do not feel ready to take Oromis's place. It seems wrong to even contemplate the notion. For the first time, I understand that I will become eventually part of the older generation, and when I do, I will have no flesh mentor to reply upon for guidance. My throat tightens, but before I can start to feel too overwhelmed, Alice steps up beside me to grasp my hand, supportingly, as Oromis steps back.

"And now it is time for gifts, especially for you, Bella. Your birthday is soon." Oromis states with an indulgent smile.

I duck my head as I lightly blush and smile, "Yes, Master. I turn 18 on the 28th day of Sumardagur. That should be the day after we return to the Varden."

"Well, wait here for a moment, please. I have some things to give to each of you." Oromis says before going into his house for a moment.

He comes back with four bundle blankets, each one of our dragons' color. He puts them on table and moves mine in front of him. With his back to me, Oromis unrolls the blanket. He rearranges whatever is on it before turning and stepping to his left so that I can see. There are four things on the blanket: a ring, a dagger, a book, and a wineskin.

Oromis picks up the ring and says softly, "This ring is a Zandír family relic that your father had possession of last. As is this dagger." He picks up the dagger and hands both objects to me.

The gold ring is a seal ring with a very detailed coat of arms embossed on it. I put it on my right middle finger and feel it shrink to fit before I examine the dagger. The hilt has my family crest engraved into the flat pommel and has a small T-Guard tang. The sheath is suede black leather with a white, capital Z scratched into the middle. I pull out the blade, silently. It's six inches of a clear, sharp gem I identify as dwarf diamond. The sunlight bends inside, creating mini rainbows.

"They're beautiful and priceless!" I whisper, awed. "Thank you, Master."

I am absolutely delighted to have more physical connections to the father I never knew I had. I put the dagger into the smaller frog made for such items on my sword belt.

Oromis nods his head. "And now you may look at the front of your shield."

I do as he says and quickly get my shield from my back. I tear the black cloth from it and gasp, overwhelmed. On my shield is embossed a larger, detailed Zandír coat of arms. The lines are filled in blue and black against the gray of the shield. The crest itself seems so perfect to me. It's shield is a maroon and green pale style with gold and white ermine fur. Alisaunder graces the top triangle of the badge shield, and a buck is rampant on the bottom. The Zandír name is written in all capitals at the top, along with the family motto: "Patience and Hope". The supporters are dragons and there's a longsword behind the middle of the shield. My eyes start to water, but I hold back my tears and thank Oromis once more.

"Of course, Bella. Now these are the last gifts I have to give you." He says, softly, picking up the book and the wineskin. "This book is one of elvish love poems since I know how you enjoy them. And this is more faelnírv."

He gives me both. I put the book away immediately. The skin has a shoulder strap on it and is larger than Emmett's hand.

"Thank you, Master." I say, gratefully.

Oromis glances at Glaedr, and the elf's face becomes troubled. "Now, in order to help ensure your survival, and as a precaution against our possible demise, Glaedr has, with my blessing, decided to…"

I have decided, says Glaedr, to give you my heart of hearts, Saphira Brightscales, Arabella "Eragon" Shadeslayer.

Saphira's astonishment is no greater than mine. Together, we stare at the majestic gold dragon who towers high above us. Saphira says, Master, you honor us beyond words, but…are you sure that you wish to entrust your heart to us?

I am sure, says Glaedr, and lowers his massive head until it is only slightly above me. For many reasons, I am sure. If you hold my heart, you shall be able to communicate with Oromis and me—no matter how far apart we may be—and I shall be able to aid you with my strength whenever you are in difficulty. And if Oromis and I should fall in battle, our knowledge and experience, and also my strength, shall still be at your disposal. Long have I pondered this choice, and I am confident it is the right one.

"But if Oromis were to die," I say in a soft voice, "would you really want to live on without him, and as an Eldunarí?"

Glaedr turns his head and focuses one of his immense eyes upon me. I do not wish to be parted from Oromis, but whatever happens, I shall continue to do what I can to topple Galbatorix from his throne. That is our only goal, and not even death shall deter us from pursuing it. The idea of losing Saphira horrifies you, Arabella, and rightly so. However, Oromis and I have had centuries to reconcile ourselves with the fact that such a parting is inevitable in our job. No matter how careful we are, if we live long enough, eventually one of us will die. It is not a happy thought, but it is the truth. Such is the way of the world.

Shifting his stance, Oromis says, "I cannot pretend that I regard this with favor, but the purpose of this life, our lifestyle, is not to do what we want but what needs to be done. This is what fate demands of us."

So now I ask you, says Glaedr, Saphira Brightscales and Arabella "Eragon" Shadeslayer, will you accept my gift and all that it entails?

I will, says Saphira.

I will, I reply after a brief hesitation.

Then Glaedr throws back his head. The muscles of his abdomen ripple and clench several times, and his throat begins to convulse as if something is stuck in it. Widening his stance, the gold dragon extends his neck straight out in front of him, every cord and sinew of his body standing in high relief underneath the armor of his sparkling scales. Glaedr's throat continues to flex and relax with increasing speed until at last, he lowers his head so that it is level with me and opens his jaws, hot, pungent air pouring from his massive maw. I squint and control my urge to gag. As I gaze into the depths of Glaedr's mouth, I see the dragon's throat contract one last time, and then a hint of gold light appears between the folds of dripping, blood-red tissue. A second later, a round object about a foot in diameter slides down Glaedr's crimson tongue and out of his mouth so fast, I nearly miss catching it.

As my hands close around the slippery, saliva-covered Eldunarí, I gasp and stagger backward, for I suddenly feel Glaedr's ever thought and emotion, and all of the sensations of his body. The amount of information is overwhelming, as is the closeness of our contact. I had expected as much, but it still shocks me to realize that I am holding Glaedr's entire being between my hands. Glaedr flinches, shaking his head as if he had been stung, and quickly shields his mind from me, although I can still sense the flicker of his shifting thoughts, as well as the general color of his emotions. The Eldunarí itself is like a giant gold jewel. Its surface is warm and covered with hundreds of sharp facets, which vary somewhat in size and sometimes projected at odd slanting angles. The center of the Eldunarí glows with a dull radiance, similar to that of a shuttered lantern, and the diffuse of light throbs with a slow, steady beat.

Upon first inspection, the light appears uniform, but the longer I gaze at it, the more details I see within it: small eddies and currents that coil and twist in seemingly random directions, darker motes that barely move at all, and flurries of bright flashes no larger than the head of a pin that flares for a moment, then fades back into the underlying field of light. It is alive.

"Here," says Oromis, and hands me a sturdy cloth sack.

To my relief, my connection with Glaedr vanishes as soon as I place the Eldunarí in the bag and my hands are no longer touching the gemlike stone. Still somewhat shaken, I clasp the cloth-covered Eldunarí against my chest, awed by the knowledge that my arms are wrapped around Glaedr's essence and afraid of what might happen to it if I allow the heart of hearts out of my grasp.

"Thank you, Master," I manage to say, bowing my head toward Glaedr.

We shall guard your heart with our, Saphira adds.

"No!" exclaims Oromis, his voice fierce. "Not with your lives! That is the very thing we wish to avoid. Do not allow any misfortune to befall Glaedr's heart because of carelessness on your part, but neither should you sacrifice yourself to protect him or me or anyone else but your mates. You must stay alive at any cost, else our hopes shall be dashed and all will be darkness."

"Yes, Master," Saphira and I say at the same time, me with my tongue and she with her mind.

Glaedr says, Because you swore fealty to Nasuada, and you owe her your loyalty and obedience, you may tell her of my heart if you must, but only if you must. For the sake of dragons everywhere, what few of us remain and the promise of more, the truth about Eldunarí cannot become common knowledge.

May we tell Arya? Saphira asks.

"And what about Blödhgarm and the other elves Islanzadí sent to protect me?" I ask. "I allowed them into my mind when Saphira and I last fought Murtagh. They will notice your presence, Glaedr-ebrithil, if you help us in the midst of battle."

You may inform Blödhgarm and his spellcasters of Eldunarí, says Glaedr, but only after they have sworn oaths of secrecy to you.

Oromis turns back to the table as he states, "Arya is Islanzadí's half-son and Nausuada's mate, and so I suppose it is proper she should know. However, as with her mate, do not tell her unless it becomes absolutely necessary. A secret shared is no secret at all. If you can be so disciplined, do not even think of it, nor of the very fact of the Eldunarí, so that no one may steal the information from your minds."

"Yes, Master."

"Now, Alice, it is your time." Oromis says.

Alice's POV

Oromis turns around as Bella and I switch places before him. When he steps to the side, there's a large wineskin like Bella's, a beautiful dagger, and a double-wrap amethyst-studded sword belt. The first thing he hands me is the belt. It's beautifully made with rich black leather, and there are pretty swirled engravings on it between each amethyst. There are twelve of the gorgeous stones and a cover that can hide them if need be. And it has a hanging frog for Fyrn and a dagger.

"It's beautiful, Master. Thank you." I say, gratefully, as I put it on.

"Now, here in this wineskin is faelnírv, but it is mixed with my blood and energy. This will give you energy and power when you have been sleepless or wounded." Oromis says, matter-of-factly.

I take it then watch as he brings forward the dagger. When he hands it to me, I examine it. The handle is made of silver steel that is two bars twisted around each other. The sheath is worn, soft gray leather. I pull out the blade, which is six inches of blued silver and has the runes for "Second-in-Command" engraved on each side. After I finish inspecting the pretty blade, I sheath it and put it into the small dagger frog on my new belt. I bow my head to Oromis, expressing my gratitude.

He explains the dagger, "That is Narcon's Dagger. As you know, Narcon of House of Belthona was second-in-command to Eragon I, our first Dragon Rider. Now, Alice, as a Rider and as Bella's mate, you are her second-in-command. You must support her as much as you possibly can in the coming climax to this war."

"Of course, Master." I say before stepping back into my Bella's arms while Edward steps up. Oromis gives him a wine skin with the same special "Vampire Brew", a bronze topaz-studded sword and dagger belt, and an ivory dragon tooth dagger. Jasper receives the same things except his belt is emerald-studded. As Jazz steps back, Oromis calls the rest of my family forward. To Carlisle, he gives his will, a small quill-shaped anti-scrying pendant, and "Vampire Brew". Esme gets a heart-shaped anti-scrying pendant, "Vampire Brew", and an elvish cookbook. Rosalie is gifted with a fire-shaped pendant, "Vampire Brew", and an elvish book on horses. Lastly, Oromis gives Emmett an urzhad tooth pendant, "Vampire Brew", and a book on elvish sports.

"Now, Arabella, I believe you said that you wanted to contact Nasuada before we leave?" Oromis questions slightly.

Bella nods, and Oromis hands her a large wall mirror. My mate takes it with her left while leaving her right around my waist. She mumbles a few words, and the surface of the mirror goes white before showing the inside of a large red tent. The receiving mirror is at eye level and lets us view seven varying people standing around a large red oak desk. Two of them are women; the one everyone is listening to is a tall but young, dark-skinned girl who carries herself like an Egyptian queen. The other woman is a tall, young-looking elf with long midnight black hair. The first woman wears a very nice green dress that would be from my dimension's Elizabethan era, and the other has on leather pants and a leather shirt with a sword at her hip. The elf woman stands protectively close to the human woman. I'm sure that they are the Nasuada and Arya I've heard about.

Of the men, two are human, one a dwarf, one an elf, and one a Kull. The human closest to Nasuada wears very nice white silk pants and a grey tunic and a circlet of gold on his head of black hair. He's somewhat tall with a thin and pretty face. He's obviously King Orrin. The man to Arya's right is a tall, wiry white man who looks every bit the devoted soldier; he's Jörmundur. The dwarf is only four feet tall, but looks very much like a grown man with his full, black beard and long, wild hair. He wears a helm with crown ridges on it, and I know that he's Orik. The elf I know as Blödhgarm is covered in beautiful blackish-blue fur with ears poking from the top of his head like a canine. The Kull is Nar Garzhvog, and he's much larger than the men in my family and taller than even Bella. They're all in there talking about the marching and their strategies for if they get to Feinster before Bella and Saphira return.

Bella is just about to call out to Nasuada when Tanya walks in.

"You called for me, Nasuada." She states, coming to a stop a few feet away from the table.

Nasuada looks up at my friend and nods, "Yes, we're starting this meeting."

Tanya nods and goes to stand in the space Blödhgarm and Orik provide between them.

"Now, as I was saying—"

Bella cuts King Orrin off, "Nasuada!"

Everyone's head snaps up to look at the mirror Bella and I are in. Nasuada moves around her large desk to stand before it.

"Arabella! And one of the House of Cullen, I presume?" the tall, dark-skinned young woman asks.

Bella and I nod before Bella says, "Greetings, milady! We're ready to return and shall start out as soon as I finish speaking to you. And this is Alice."

"That is great news, Arabella. And nice to meet you. When can we expect you all?" Nasuada questions, happily.

"We will arrive on our third night of travel, barring problems. The other three dragons will hide in the woods near our post camp until we flush out Galbatorix's spies. Alice and Edward will be able to find them." Bella states in answer.

"Great! You'll be right on time for your birthday party! We shall be near three quarters of the way to Feinster."

"Yeah, I'm glad for that." My mate smiles, warmly. "I need you to arrange what we did for Katrina and Roran for the day after my birthday."

Nasuada looks surprised as she asks, "Really? Who is it?"

The people behind Nasuada look the same and curious too. I pretend, for Bella, that I don't know what she's talking about, even though Bella knows I know.

"Alice. She's my mate." Bella replies, blissfully.

"That is very happy news to hear! I will let the villagers know as soon as I can, Bella! Hurry back, Eragon; we need you." Nasuada says, softly, using Bella's nickname.

"Of course, milady. And I bring help." Bella smiles before she lets the connection go. "Let us go. We must hasten. Once we get back to Ellesméra, we shall give the rest of you elvish horses so you can ride until we get to the edge of Du Welden Varden. That way you can be energized to run the rest of the way."

With that said, Oromis puts his mirror back while we mount up again. Once Oromis is ready we all launch into the air for Ellesméra. Back in the city, we let Vanir know we're leaving. The young elf bids us good luck then hurries off for his armor so he can go join Islanzadí. After that my other family members call four beautiful white horses to ride. Esme rides a sweet mare named Gilly, Carlisle a stallion named Tolkin, Emmett a mare named Roana, and Rose a stallion named Cathro. We set off quickly, saying farewell to Gilderien, and heading as fast as possible south.

*&$*%^&*^%)&)(^Bellice%&($(&*)^)^&%*(^))*^%)^*

A/N: So, tell me what'd you think? This is not beta-ed since I don't know where either of my betas went, so if you see any mistakes, let me know, and I'll fix them. Ok, so I just found out a couple of days ago that my story Cold One was deleted because my summary wasn't PG rated. First off, I've seen way worse summaries than mine; second, my summary only had the B word in it; and third, the story is rated M for a reason, and everyone on ff knows that you can only see rated M stories if you filter them in. So yeah, now I have to reupload after I retype... grrr!


	12. Du Fells Nangoröth

Chapter Eleven: Du Fells Nangoröth

A/N: Of course, I know that it has been awhile. I'm still dealing with stuff, and I also now have no com in my house, getting one soon though. This is all school library. Anyway, here's your next chapter, and thank you to all the people still reading and those that have been joining recently. As a side note, I can't get back onto the Star Tiger train, so if anyone would like to adopt, I'd be happy to let you have at it and add input if I remember anything. I will, however, be staying with Cold Ones, but mostly because we need more Leah/Bella stories. More news at the bottom. Now on with the story.

Bella's POV

As soon as we reach the edge of Du Weldenvarden, Oromis and Glaedr split with us for the east.

"Fair winds to all of you. When next we meet, let it be before the gates of Uru'baen." Oromis speaks from Glaedr's back.

"Fair winds to you as well!" We all call in return.

With that he and Glaedr fly off. Saphira and the others resume their paths south once the others release their steeds. It's four in the afternoon now as we fly nonstop for the abandoned caves of the dragons. Our dragons fly continuously, and the other vampires run below as the hours bleed together. When the sun rises on our second day, it finds us deep within the Hadarac Desert heading still south and already seeing the small peaks of Du Fells Nangoröth. Two hours more pass and we're but half a mile away when Saphira spots a squadron of about 50 soldiers flying Galbatorix's colors headed quickly our way all on horseback about four miles off from us.

"How did they find us so fast?" Edward asks, thinking the cavalry a hunting party.

"My friend, they are not here for us nor can they even see us yet. Nay, Galbatorix has somehow thought to look here after all these years. They are after the Eldunarí!" I correct, grimly.

'We must wait them out; they will be a few hours behind us and unsuspecting if we can get in undetected.' Saphira tells us.

"Aye, this battle won't take long. Edward, tell the rest of your family of these new tidings. Jasper, could you and Edward whip up a sand storm to cover the eyes of those men, please." I order, swiftly as we speed up. "This rising sun is draining away our cover, but we will still have it for 10 minutes maybe. We may need to fly higher though."

With that we rise higher and see the small scale sand storm wrap around Galbatorix's men. A half hour later, we dive out of the sky to land quickly if just a bit loudly. The other vampires are already waiting for us on the central plateau between the four main 80 yard mountains that encircle the smaller mountains where clawed-out caves sit abandoned.

"Where go we now, Arabella?" Carlisle asks me.

"The Rock of Kuthian is the burial place of Bid'Daum's sire's family. T'was never put in any elvish record because he wished it secret and only told Eragon I. Now we know why. There is a pathway dug deep into the ground below here which is where all wild dragons were buried. The special place for Bid'Daum's sire is the last tomb. By the time we return to the surface, the soldiers pursuing us should just be making their way to this platform. Here, we shall dispatch them." I say. "Now, the Rock of Kuthian is actually a collection of blackened rocks set up in the shape of the elvish rune for honor. Come."

After walking for about half an hour, we reach the rock formation we're looking for. The cave looks like it was land-slid shut by millions of small pebbles. I go to stand before it.

"Tis, I, Eragon!" I exclaim in the ancient language.

For a moment nothing happens, but then there is a great grinding and crunching of rocks as the loose-looking pebbles tighten together and swing open. Dank, stagnant air rushes up to meet our noses.

"Naina," I mutter, conjuring up a floating ball of bright blue light. "Let us hurry."

With that we descend into the deep, musty cavern. Once all of us are inside, the opening closes itself again, and we pause for a moment. Before we can start forward once more, something forces my light spell to be cut off. As I'm about to retry, Saphira stops me.

'Wait, Bella.' She says. 'I do not know how, but I know what to do. Step back, please.'

Alice, who's beside me, and I do as she says while she steps forward in the wide and tall underground path. Then she opens her mouth, slightly, and a horizontal column of blue flames erupts from it. To my, and I'm sure the vampires', amazement, the column splits in two then into many separate balls of fire which fly to either side of the cavern to land on previously unseen fire clubs. The lights go on seemingly indefinitely, but I know that after every second great tomb, on both sides, another path opens to more tombs. According to Eragon's book, we have to walk for an hour to get to the first tomb at the bottom. We make our way briskly with Alice's parents walking beside us and our dragons as Carlisle asks me about the medicine tents of the Varden. We lessen the time by jogging as we go deeper and it gets slightly hotter.

Finally, we stop in front of the tomb of the Unnamed Dragon, and I know we must be at least a few miles below the surface. The round vault door is scratched by claws with the name of First Hunter.

I stand in front it and put my gedwëy ignasia to the marking before exclaiming, "Tis, I, Eragon!"

With a grinding much like the first entrance, the huge, wheel-like granite door rolls to the right. Inside is utter darkness until Lunam sends a burst of fire in. The new flames illuminate a great, empty cavern. The primitive decorations consist of burned stalagmites and stalactites with raw gems encrusted within them and the walls. Lining the long, large hall on both sides are varying dragon-sized holes. Large bones reside in perfect repose, giving away how the past dragon had laid in death. There, at the end of the hall, are three dusty and now vaguely glowing Eldunarí, two white and the last orange. As soon as the light starts and we step in, an almost suffocating air of power permeates the room from them as their glow increases.

Then an old voice, an old powerful voice, echoes into all of our heads, speaking in the ancient language, 'Who has entered here? Identify yourself and your purpose here.'

I gulp a bit before stepping forward a step and answer in kind to the male dragon, "I am Arabella Brommson, a sun-crotch, and my male name is Eragon, and I am also called Shadeslayer."

'You carry powerful names, Shadeslayer.' compliments the voice. 'I am Bid'Daum, dragon of the first Rider and first Eragon. I am on the left.'

"I am very pleased to meet you, skulblaka. These others are my dragon Saphira, my mate Alice Esmesdaughter, her dragon Lunam, and Alice's family the House of Cullen which includes Edward whose dragon is Alaula, Jasper whose dragon is Nahele, Rosalie, and Emmett. Carlisle and Esme are their parents." I say, adding pictures to my words. "We are here because a great disaster has been wrought upon Alagaësia for the last century and a half. I found out through Eragon I's book that you were placed here to help."

'And so we were.' A new voice says, this one even older and more powerful and male too. 'I am Bid'Daum's sire. You may call me Flight. And the orange one to my right is my mate, Dolanna. Tell us, what is it that has happened?'

After Dolanna has introduced herself and my group has as well, I spend an hour and a half summarizing what all has befallen my homeland, and also I dust them off.

'This witch you spoke of, Angela, her mother is the one that told Eragon and I to secretly stow away our hearts for this calamity though she was not specific about what would happen.' Bid'Daum states, thoughtfully.

"I'm not really shocked to hear it because I know that Angela is old and that she must have gained her power from somewhere." I say, sighing.

'Very well, let us make haste!' Dolanna exclaims, firmly. 'We must get to the Varden. The sooner we end this war, the sooner peace will be restored to this land.'

"Yes, let's go!" Emmett exclaims, excitedly.

And so we pack Bid'Daum with Glaedr, Flight with Dolanna on Alaula, and Fundor joins Ohen on Nahele. We hurriedly leave the tomb, going faster than the trip down, making the journey only 30 minutes. When we return to the main plateau, all of Galbatorix's troops are regrouping on the far side of it. One man sees us and calls alarm. The two commanders turn quickly in fear in their eyes. All of their horses are tethered to posts they've erected. Their armor is well made but only basic pieces are on them.

The leader on the left steps forward and states firmly, "By the King's order, we must arrest you and seize the treasure you have obviously just stolen from him! Now, lay down your weapons and surrender!"

I advance about five paces before stopping and declaring, "By Fate's Order, Galbatorix must be punished for his crimes against Alagaësia, and we will stop his evil tyranny! We shall never surrender!"

The man just looks at me for a moment then shouts, "For the King!"

And then all of the men are rushing forward. I hear the rasp of swords being unsheathed behind me as I take out Brisingr. I don't hurry forward but instead let them come to me. Saphira tells the other dragons to let us deal with them and eat a couple of horses. The first to reach me are the two captains and another troop. I gracefully swing my sword up and right to slash the first man as the other troops push around me to the vampires. As three more men replace the other three I've killed, I catch sight of my beautiful Alice whirling in her graceful dance as she slashes through each of the six men around her. I'm jolted back into my fight when I take a hit to the shield on my back.

Alice's POV

As I strike down my fourth soldier, I get a glimpse of my glorious Bella moving like a great jungle cat as she cuts down her six soldiers easily. I peek to my family as I block the last two swords coming at me. Carlisle and Esme, though they abhor violence, are a very good tag team as they use each other to dispatch their soldiers. Rose is a snake-like swordswoman just as she is with her bare hands; she whips her sword out in swift jabs between meeting gaps in armor pieces. Each man she hits cries out painfully as they hit the ground. Emmett is perhaps the scariest to these men with his maniacal grin and the sweeping blows of his huge hammer as he lets it fly. Those men crumple. When I see Bella layout her last opponent with a jab through his neck, I strive harder to finish my fight. As my troops try to close in on me at the same time, I spin with inhuman speed with my blade out straight to cut the men in the stomach, spilling their innards.

When the fighting comes to a stop, my family stands lightly panting and a little blood-spattered. Saphira, Lunam, Alaula, and Nahele have feasted on four horses together and are now drinking from the sizeable stream running through the left of the plateau. We join them to clean off the small amount of blood we are covered with.

"I do not know when you will be able to feed again, so take from the soldiers what you need." Bella tells us as she shakes water off of her hands.

My family and I look at each other a little uncertain but go to do it anyway. I hesitantly put my mouth to one of the men's throat and bite down. The blood is good, but not as good as human blood used to be. I drink for nearly a minute before I feel the need to stop. It's an odd feeling in a part of my body that wasn't there before, but I don't stress it because I didn't go into a frenzy, so I'm fine. Afterwards, we eat some bread and cheese with Bella, and then she releases all but four of the soldiers' stallions.

"These are for you to ride until we get into the Empire. I'm sure we'll be running into soldiers." Bella says to my parents, Rose, and Emmett.

They nod, and we start to make our way back over the mountain to the desert at noon. Once back on the flat, barren terrain, Bella, Jazz, Ed, and I are back in the sky with our dragons, and we're all headed southwest in a straight path that will take us through the southernmost part of the Empire, close enough to Uru'baen to make me nervous. It's four o'clock before we have to stop again. We are halfway to the point between Furnost and Uru'baen when I have a vision of soldiers marching ahead of us, sacking small villages as they go, so we land to pick up the rest of my family. The stallions are let go, to return to Du Weldenvarden, and since our dragons are carrying more weight than they're used to and can't go as high, Edward and I create a cloud cover for us. Bella and Emmett are talking about Alagaësian jokes and riddles across Lunam and Saphira while Carlisle talks to Jazz and Esme. Rosalie and Edward are talking about musical instruments. I am quiet, thinking about this new life that I've suddenly but pleasantly found myself in. I smile blissfully as I think of my Bella, and I begin to picture miniature Bella's and me's running around a field, playing with, around, and on Saphira and Lunam. Then suddenly it isn't my imagination anymore; it's a vision of our future shown to me—

Vision

'Bella!' I call from my spot lying in the grass, watching Lunam and Saphira twirl around each other in the air.

'Yes, my love?' comes her immediate answer as she comes to kneel beside me.

'Have Emmett and Rosalie dropped off the kids yet?' I ask.

'They have. The eight of them are playing with your mischievous children.' Bella chuckles, lying beside me and wrapping her arms around my waist.

I snuggle into her and mumble quietly, 'Why are they always my children when they are being mischievous, love?'

'Because you are my mischievous pixie,' Bella mumbles back.

We snuggle together, just watching the white clouds serenely for about 10 minutes. Then the calm is shattered by five black- and auburn-haired little bodies dog-piling us.

'Mama! Papa!' they all exclaim.

Then eight blonde- and brown-haired children join them as we all laugh raucously.

End Vision

When I come back to the present, we're passing over the small village of Knopf. It's crawling with soldiers brutalizing the terrified villagers in search of spies or more recruits. I can feel the tension Bella exudes as she has to fight the urge to deliver justice upon those barbaric men, but I let Saphira field her discomfort.

Bella's POV

Emmett joins Jasper and Carlisle and Esme's conversation while I drop into my inner thoughts. As it gets closer to night, I begin feeling discontent again. Ever since we had parted with Oromis and Glaedr, a sense of constant anxiety has troubled me as I ponder what awaits me and Saphira and now Alice, Lunam, and their family in the last throes of this war. I know that we are better protected from death and injury, but when I think back to the Burning Plains and to the sight of blood spurting from severed limbs and the screams of wounded men and the white-hot lash of a sword slicing through my own flesh, then my gut roils and my muscles shake with suppressed energy, and I do not know whether I wish to fight every soldier in the land or flee in the opposite direction and hide in a deep, dark hole. My dread only worsens when we spot lines of armed men marching over the fields of the village Knopf below. Within the small wall, pillars of smoke rises from burning houses as women, men, and children run from soldiers screaming and crying out. The sight of so much wanton destruction sickens me. Knowing I can do nothing for them at present, I avert my gaze and squeeze the neck spike in front of me and squint until the only thing visible through the bars of my blurry eyelashes are my pale, sword-roughened hands.

'Little one,'says Saphira, her thoughts slowing down. 'We have done this before. Do not allow it to disturb you so.'

Regretting that I have distracted her from flying, I say, 'I'm sorry… I'll be fine when we get there. I just want it to be over.'

'I know.'

I sniff and wipe my cold nose on the cuff of my tunic. 'Sometimes I wish I enjoyed fighting as much as you do. Then this would be so much easier.'

'If you did,' she says, 'the entire world would cower before our feet, including Galbatorix. No, it is good you do not share my love of blood. We balance each other out, Arabella… Apart we are incomplete, but together we are whole, just as you and Alice or Lunam and I. now clear your mind of these poisonous thoughts and tell me a riddle.'

'Very well,' I say after a moment. 'I am colored red and blue and yellow and every other hue of the rainbow. I am long and short, thick and thin, and I often rest coiled up. I can eat a hundred sheep in a row and still be hungry. What am I?'

'A dragon, of course,' Saphira says without hesitation.

'No, a woolen rug.'

'Bah!'

As we all continue southwest, Alice, Rosalie, Jasper, and Esme fall asleep, and our second night and third morning pass us by in a hurry. Hours after dusk, our dragons all wobble and drop several feet in a single, sickening lurch. We all straighten, alarmed, and look around alertly for any clue as to what caused the disturbance but see only the purple tint of really dim light from the glittering stars above shedding on the pale ground far below.

'I believe we just reached the Jiet River,' says Saphira. 'The air here is cool and moist, as it would be over water.'

I look down again and see the faint glimmer of water. 'Then Feinster shouldn't be too much further ahead.'

And so it is. Later in the night, when dawn is only a few hours away, a dull glow appears on the horizon. The fires of the Varden glow brightly to my enhanced eyes, and, in the distance, the fires of Feinster give away their position nearly two leagues past the Varden. Saphira spots a grove a mile or so from the encampment, so we land there. Once on the ground, we're a bit wobbly, but we unburden the dragons and let them settle before leaving with our stuff. Since we are not tired, we run swiftly while Saphira flies above us. Her saddle is heavy in my arms for the 10 minutes needed to traverse the mile between us and our destination, but I do not mind. As I see the motley of dark-colored tents come closer, I feel a small lightening in my chest.

AN2: Hey, so, I've been on an idea for the last couple of years about a mass crossover with my faves, including Resident Evil. I've already started, but: let me know in the reviews if you'd rather I waited until I'm completely finished to post or stay 5 chapters ahead of posts. I'm warning, though, the story is gonna be long with chapters mostly past 20 pages of writing because there are so many different fandoms and main characters. Just let me know what you think, and we'll go from there. Hope you guys liked the chapter, and I'll try to put myself on an update schedule again when I get my laptop. Peace.


	13. The Varden

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: If there is anyone still reading this, I very much apologize for being one of those authors who totally doesn't stick to their update plan and takes a long hiatus. Life being life is all the excuse I can give you all. I have rediscovered my muse and got back on track with my writing, plus I am on summer break. You can expect more writing from me. No beta, so all mistakes are mine; you can tell me. Have a great one, people! -Schuyler

Chapter Twelve: The Varden

Alice's POV

The dark tents of the Varden come nearer and nearer as we run. Around the perimeter of the encampment is a trench filled with outward facing spikes. A ten foot gate is set in the bob wire that acts as a portal in the trench. A sentry can be seen coming around the far left corner, and Bella stops us beyond the human man's sight 50 yards away. Bella contacts Arya mentally to let her know we've arrived.

"She's let Nasuada know, and they are on their way now." My mate says a minute later.

We all nod and sit to wait. About 15 minutes later, the sentry we saw earlier is going past the gate again just in time to be relieved by a dwarf. Once the man is gone, Nasuada and Arya appear with Orik just a bit behind them. The three of them open the gate and wait. Bella motions us forward, and we advance quietly. A minute late we reach them, but no greetings are exchanged yet, as the gate is closed, in an effort for stealth. When the gate is shut, Orik nods to the other dwarf, and Nasuada leads us silently through the sea of tents toward the center of camp. We finally arrive to a large red tent, where six guards, the Nighthawks, stand at the entrance. Nasuada nods to them as we all make our way inside. She goes to sit behind the large desk I'd seen earlier while Arya on the left corner of it, closest to her mate.

There are numerous simple wooden chairs stacked in one corner of the pavilion, and the nine of us pull some into a semicircle before Nasuada's desk. Bella adds three chairs before turning to Nasuada to say, "Before we begin, I'll need someone to get Roran, Angela, and Tanya and bring them here so they can be brought up to speed."

"What of Orrin?" Nasuada asks, quietly, studying my closeness to Bella.

"He can be informed in the morning." Bella replies.

Nasuada nods and looks to Arya. The elf princess immediately rises and gracefully exits the tent. Bella sits in front of Nasuada at the top of our semicircle, and I sit in the chair more personally close on her left. My parents sit on my other side with Emmett and Rose to their left, and Ed and Jazz sit on Bella's right. Orik sits on Ed's right. Everyone gazes around for a bit, so I turn to my mate, and we have a mental conversation about her life while traveling with Brom. Our silent talk is interrupted by Arya's return with our three requested people. Tanya is the first through and gives us Cullens a happy, familiar smile. Angela is the next through; in this dimension she is short, curly-headed, and looks to be in her mid to late twenties. She smiles cheerily at us all. The last person to walk in is Roran. He's as big as Emmett with sharp features, but enough softness to look related to Bella. He has the same auburn hair and sapphire eyes they inherited from his dad and her mom, and his gaze is warm and kind as he looks at his cousin and my family. He looks rather like Paul Bunyan with his neatly trimmed but full beard; however, he's obviously a teddy bear at the right time like Emmett.

"Roran!" Bella exclaims, quietly, as she stands to hug the large man.

That triggers similar greetings from each of her other friends as well except for Arya who just shakes arms with her. After the pleasantries Orik, Ed, and Jazz move down a seat so Roran can sit on Bella's other side while Angela and Tanya sit as well. Bella introduces everyone, "My new comrades, these are Arya Drottingu, her mate Nasuada, Orik the dwarf king, my cousin Roran, and the witch Angela." She points out everyone then switches to us, "Everyone, this is the House Cullen: Carlisle and Esme, the parents, Edward and Jasper, who're mates and Riders, Rosalie and Emmett are mates as well, and my mate Alice, who is also a Dragon Rider."

"Alright. Now, Angela has already explained how this," Nasuada sweeps her hand at my family. "Has come into being, so just tell me what happened from when they all reached Ellésmera."

Bella nods and begins speaking, "Once they arrived and everyone was introduced, the Riders and their dragons jumped into the training with me and Saphira. The rest of their family was trained by Islanzadí to use their regular magic. My teacher told us the history vampires have in this land while we trained. We were told where to find the metal needed by Rhunön to make our swords, and she also made us armor. I also know how to defeat Galbatorix. This war shall end the first time I face him."

Everyone sits in silence for a moment before Nasuada says, "Well, that is glorious news to hear!"

Roran, Orik, Arya, and Angela all let out an "Aye!" at the same time.

"Now, obviously, I did not want to cause an uproar so late, so the other dragons will be back by late morning." Bella states, tiredly.

"Of course. I'm sure you all want sleep now; we can talk at a more appropriate time." Nasuada approves.

Everyone stands and puts the chairs back.

"It's good to have you back, Eragon!" Orik gruffly says, patting my love on the back before leaving.

Roran and Angela do much the same before disappearing as well. Tanya greets the family and leaves. Angela says something about toads to Bella, and she too goes back to her tent.

Once we are the last in the tent Bella tells Arya and Nasuada, "I am glad to be back amongst you all again."

The two nod, and we all bid each other goodnight. Bella leads us all to the far left back corner of the camp which is its own little camp of 17 five-person tents. Four black ones stand out amongst the green, and Bella takes us over to them; these are actually three-person. Bella points Carlisle, Esme, Rose, and Emmett to the tents to the right of us, and Edward and Jazz to the left one of what's obviously our tent. Saphira curls around ours as we go inside. The interior boasts a cot with a thin, straw mattress big enough for a man twice Emmett's size, a metal brazier for warmth, and a barrel of water for washing; it's a very austere setting.

Bella and I set down our dragons' saddles and our packs. While Bella checks to make sure her belongings were put back by her cousin, I take off my armor and put it away. Bella does the same a moment later, and we get out some nightclothes. After changing we immediately snuggle close on the small cot and fall asleep.

The next morning the muted buzzing of Bella's wind-up alarm wakes us just as others of Carvahall are rising. Bella gives me a quiet good morning and a kiss before we get up. She pulls on her dark blue elf tunic and pants along with a pair of worn black boots. As she's doing that, I take the time to make our bed. When I turn around, Bella is holding out a light lilac tunic for me with a smile on her beautiful face. I return her smile before letting her lower the long, dress-like shirt over my head. Once it's down she hands me the matching pants. After those and my boots are on, I buckle on my sword and dagger as Bella does the same. Bella instructs me to put on my bracers, handing them to me before donning hers.

"We will eat with Nasuada, Arya, Orrin, Orik, Roran, several high generals, and your people this morning as we get everyone update." Bella tells me when we're done.

I nod, and she unbuckles the tent flap to allow us out. She steps outside and looks around before letting me come out beside her. As we walk further outside, 13 elves in light, beautiful armor surround us. One elf, who seems to be in charge, comes up to Bella and me as we stop.

"Good morning, Shadeslayer, Argetlam." He purrs, bowing his head and twisting his arm over his sternum.

His whole body is covered in dark blue-black fur, his hair a mane. He has a cat-like face, protruding upper fangs, and ears on the top of his head.

"Good morning, Blodgharm. This is Alice, my mate. How've you all fared in my absence?" Bella replies with a pleasant smile.

"Very well, Shadeslayer; thank you for asking. Welcome to the Varden camp, my Lady. I and the rest of the guard will do our best to protect you. And that reminds me to tell you, Shadeslayer, that Queen Islanzadí has deployed 13 more elves for each of the new Riders and their dragons. They will arrive in a week's time." Blödgharm answers as we begin walking again.

"Thank you for imparting that to me, Master elf."

After Bella's gratitude little else is said as we journey to the large red command tent. The meeting is just a general briefing before most disperse, though Orrin has been indescribably happy since.

"I hate to bring the mood down, but how are we to handle the spies? We have no progress on identifying them still." Arya speaks up as Bella, Nasuada, Orrin, Orik, Roran, my family, and I continue our leisurely breakfast.

Edward grins as he answers, "I shall take care of that. Since mindreading is my primary power, most can never be aware of my presence in their thoughts. Only people who know me familiarly can do so. Using my element I can change myself into air so that I may find treacherous thoughts without being seen. Even if they are not thinking of it at the time, I will see all of their memories."

"And how long will this take you?"

"Two, three days at the most. Once I finish I can give Nasuada and Orrin their names. After they are taken care of, we can let the troops know of their three new Riders and start playing for Feinster." My bronze-haired brother says, confidently.

"Alright, you already have our trust; we shall reconvene the war council three days from now. Edward, if you would, please start as soon as possible." Nasuada tells us and Edward.

We all nod before departing to go about our day. Bella and I decide to return to the tent and lay in infrequent peace for a while.

Bella's POV

I am woken by my Alice shaking my shoulder; the nap was unexpected yet refreshing. I look up at Alice, noticing that the summer sun is setting. It must be getting kind of late.

"What is it, my heart?" I query, caressing her left cheek gently.

"Your party, love, we must postpone until tomorrow." Alice replies with a knowing expression.

I smile softly as I ask, "You have seen this in a vision?"

"Yes, Edward will not need as long as he said earlier today; in fact he will be done within the hour. We will be able to capture and interrogate the spies before executing them. Once that is done, we shall announce the new Riders, and that will lead to feasting and celebration tonight." My mate tells me with a light grin.

"Well then, I shall let Roran know, and he will tell the villagers. The next few days will be full of celebration much deserved. Come, my love, let us get this over with."

As I turn to rise from our bed, Alice grasps my wrist. She pulls me in for a deep, loving kiss after she says, "Happy birthday, my love. I am so glad that you were born."

The fabric at her hips is soft beneath my fingertips as I grip her gently with my right hand, my left still caught in her grasp. Our lips join together again, so effortlessly and so softly. After a lost amount of time, we part and I help her from the bed with a joyful smile, fully open to Alice. We once more buckle on our swords before leaving our warded tent behind. The evening sky is still little more than an hour from sunset. Fires are being lit, blurring the early stars which have begun to appear, and the air smells a good mix of wood smoke, food, and clear summer night winds.

Nearby I see my cousin sitting outside of his own temporary abode, upon a stool, whittling a little toy horse. I walk, leisurely and in tandem with my dear Alice, to stop before him. He looks up and smiles when he sees us coming.

"Hail, cousin! Happy birthday again, Arabella! Are you ready for your party?" Roran greets, continuing his carving.

"Thank you, cousin. Aye, I am ready for a party, yet I nearly regret to tell you it shall be for a more important reason." I tell him with a laughing smile.

This response causes him to still his knife and look up, squinting at me as he asks, "And just what could be a more important reason to celebrate than the anniversary of the realm's new, most hope inspiring Dragon Rider and my cousin's birthday?"

"We are about to put down a problem that has been perpetually vexing the Varden, especially lately." I answer, telling him silently of the spies' imminent capture. "Alice and I are going to visit Nasuada, and I was hoping you could get message to the villagers to hold my party until tomorrow night then meet with us at the command tent."

Roran grins, "Aye, I'll be there shortly."

He hurries inside his tent as Alice and I continue. In the near twilight, people who are still about dip into curtsies and bows. Some of the men and women have the gall to stare at my mate with lusty eyes though she is walking with her arm in mine. The low growl, bubbling from my throat to just below their hearing, seems to scare them off anyway and amuse Alice. Finally we enter the Varden leader's main tent. I am surprised to already find the others of Alice's family, Orrin, Orik, Arya, and Tanya, plus a short unfamiliar vampire, standing near the desk with Nasuada. We join them as Alice explains in my mind, 'Edward called them; he's on his way with the traitors now.'

As she said only five minutes more pass before four men are marched in by eight of our elite soldiers, followed closely by Edward and Roran. The loyal soldiers force the traitors to both knees before this panel of leaders.

"My friends, this search took me much, much less time than I thought it would, due to two occurrences: first because they were together planning their next move, and two their thoughts were screaming, practically, because they were conversing about it. However, I was quick enough to do a full sweep of the whole camp to be sure. I didn't hear any other out of the ordinary thoughts." Edward informs us, smiling just a tad smugly.

"Well done. We can always interrogate these four to make certain there are no other spies." Arya says, matter-of-factly.

The man on the end closest to me shouts, "You'll get nothing of us!" He is of scruffy features and husky physique.

Every one of us turns cold, hard eyes at him. He, along with his fellow traitors, flinch.

Edward moves lightning quick, grabbing the man in a headlock and pulling his left arm painfully across his back. "This is Arve Yornsson. He likes his drink fiery, his women unwilling, and his job serving Galbatorix to finally get all he's ever desired. The rest are Keir Einidsson, Carsh Barlovsson, and Morgon Farlansson. All are here for the same reasons."

"Great work, Edward! Now then, gentlemen, you will answer our questions the easy way or the hard way." Nasuada states, nonchalantly as she takes a threatening step toward the cowards.

At first the four remain obstinately quiet… until Edward steps forward and tells them, "No one is coming to rescue you; the other spies you are thinking of died already. Galbatorix most certainly does not value the four of you enough to actually come here, nor even use some other means of helping you escape.

"So, you can tell us what you know… or we can dive painfully into your mind and take the information we desire, which would result in you dying from unavoidable insanity."

For just a moment more, the men hold their composure. Edward starts choking Arve with the air around him, and after a few seconds Carsh throws himself down, quivering in fear.

"Alright, I yield! But we only know that we are now his only spies within the army itself; we were to find a way to disrupt the charms the King believes in place to stop his magical spying and report our movements to him. Also we were tasked to take out King Orrin if we could." The cowardly man explains in a quick, high-pitched manner.

His fellow conspirators look at him with disgust but keep their heads down and their mouths shut. Arve lays sprawled, still recovering from being choked as Edward moves forward to pull Carsh up by his collar to ask, "And who was your contact?"

The man sputters as he answers, "The red Rider; we would sneak out to meet him in turns somewhere he could land his dragon unseen at the dead of night."

At this I step forward, growling my own query, "When is he due to see you next?"

He hesitates then, as if sensing the end of his life with the last of his information. Edward doesn't hesitate to cut off his air, leaving his face changing colors. "One of you will answer the question or suffer a slow death like your pal here."

"We were to meet him tonight, while everyone was busy celebrating your birthday." It is Morgon who answers this time in a weary voice, obviously resigned to his fate.

Alice turns to the group and says, "The only place near enough for them to go, which is inconspicuous, is the copse of trees where our dragons are."

I nod before looking to Nasuada, who says, "Execute these traitors, and then we shall proceed from there. You can announce the other Riders when they die."

"Other Riders?!"

We all look back to the kneeling men to find Keir, the one yet to speak, finally breaking his silence as he looks at the new people with terror.

I take a small pleasure in confirming, "Yes, the new Riders who have just joined our cause; they are why Galbatorix shall fall sooner than he fears.

Nasuada beckons the guards forward once more, "Strip them and ready the block at the main gate. I want everyone there in half an hour, even the gate guards."

The soldiers nod before leading the prisoners away to carry out their orders. Once they are gone, Nasuada turns to me and requests with a grin, "So, tell me your plan? I know you have one."

I grin back, "We shall ambush them. The four of us can knock them unconscious. When they come to, we will work together to rehabilitate the dark magic from him and Thorn. Within a few days, I'll know if he shall rejoin us once more."

Those around me nod in agreement with my proposal, and then Arya speaks up, "Well then, let us attend to the spies, and maybe we shall still have a celebration after all."

We all smile and make our way out of the command tent to the front gate. As we walk Alice guides me near the short, red-headed vampire from the tent, whom I'd yet to meet.

"Bella, this is my friend Maggie. She has the gift of knowing when someone is lying. I asked her to come to the interrogation for obvious reasons." My mate informs me with a small grin.

I smile and offer my arm to the young woman who says, "I would have spoken if they had lied, but they didn't. Either people are less inclined to falsehood here or the jessies were a threat from pissin' themselves!"

I'm charmed by her accent which resembles those from the coastal towns of west Alagaёsia, and I laugh at her attitude, "People lie here as well; they were just cowards."

Alice joins our conversation, and we continue to talk until we get to the gate. We get there just behind the soldiers but they make a path as soon as someone spots Nasuada. After a few minutes, we reach the large space the men left between them and the gate. Saphira is already there, sitting poised for anything behind the four prisoners. They are once more kneeling, stripped to their breeches and bindings. Jormundr stands beside the line of them, ready with his beheading axe and the block.

We all move to stand just in front of Saphira, and Nasuada begins immediately, with Arya magically bolstering her voice, "People of the Varden, of Farthen Dur, of Surda, of Du Weldenvarden, these men before you have betrayed us. They have betrayed our trust and our camaraderie… all in the name of coin and fake glory in the name of the Usurper!"

At this point many are glaring and grumbling at the traitors; there are many a family at stake here. No one is here for money, though they do get paid. That is just courtesy.

"Well, their trickery is over; they have been caught, they have been questioned, and now they will be put to death!"

At this the troops around us cheer loudly, and with a nod to Jormundr, Nasuada steps back for him to start. One by one the traitors are put to the block, where their heads are soundly lopped off. Once the unpleasant business is finished, we wait the half hour it takes to throw the remains onto a quickly built pyre and set flame to them.

I take the lead this time, when the ten men with the task return. "Now that we have rid ourselves of the spies in our midst, I have great news to share: we have gained 30 soldiers of a race that is similar to the elves… and we have gained three Dragon Riders."

My words are followed by absolute silence for all of 20 seconds before questions are being hurtled out like a barrage of arrows. I let them all have their moment, to hear the various queries.

"Hush!" I call, projecting my voice a bit louder than necessary. "Their dragons hatched for them in a land far away from Alagaёsia, but they found their way to us with the aid of a friend here."

Alice, Jasper, and Edward step up beside me and take off their gloves to show everyone their dominant hand, where the gedwёy ignasia shows brightly. The murmurs and gasps that this collects is more excited and long-living, until one general of Orrin's court steps forward to ask, "And where are their dragons?"

My mouth stays shut as in the next second, Lunam, Nahele, and Alaula land lightly abreast of Saphira behind us, yet still quaking the ground. The troops and families can do naught but stare in awe and fear at the three new dragons. The camp really is silent now.

I continue, happily, "These are Alice, Jasper, and Edward of House Cullen, and their dragons Lunam, Nahele, and Alaula. Alice is my betrothed, and we shall wed tomorrow. Soon they will help me capture the Red Rider, and then we shall tear Galbatorix from his false throne!"

Cheers rise from the thousands and thousands of people before me once more, only stronger and more certain. I grin, letting it grow larger when Alice joins our hands by our fingers. Her own grin and beautiful blue eyes a grand reminder of why I will kill Galbatorix.


End file.
